Pastor Dave Martin ~ Cross Creek Community Church ~ April 22, 2007
“Teamwork”
The Cross Creek Adventure
1Co 3:1-9
Commitment to…
Ø Clear Vision (Last week) – What the Lord is doing at Cross Creek… the dream of our future building…
Ø Teamwork (Today) – To be engage in together… giving of yourself to the Lord as His servant…
Ø Real Sacrifice (Next week)
· Team – any group of people (or animals) linked to a common purpose… “Team of horses”
· Sporting events (football, baseball, soccer, basketball)… every member important & necessary
· Military – a team of ONE made up of Army, Air Force, Navy & Marines (many smaller teams – squad, etc)
· God calls us as a church to function as a TEAM… also our building project will require effort from all of us…
· Like the Marines, Cross Creek is looking for a few good men & women to make a difference!
(Success)
T.E.A.M. = Together Everyone Accomplishes More
“Teamwork makes the Dreamwork”
· No "I" in "TEAMWORK"… More involved the greater the blessing.
Andrew Carnegie said, “Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results”.
1 Corinthians 3:1-9 1 Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly--mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? 4 For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men? 5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe--as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
· Unlike Cross Creek, In the church at Corinth… there was a lot of infighting, problems, jealousy because of sin… they were not functioning as a team. They were divided – pulled between Paul and Apollos (A divided kingdom cannot stand)
· Paul addresses them as “worldly” – fleshly, spiritually lazy & undisciplined in their faithfulness and obedience… they were “stunted” in their spiritual maturity… baby (infant) Christians… undeveloped in their Christlikeness… needing bottle milk…
· Weak, undiscerning we see in verse 3 “jealousy” (an attitude) and “quarreling” (an action)
Henry Ford said, “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”
· Let’s see God’s prescription in staying dead centered in God’s will fulfilling His purpose – success!
· Everything begins with Commitment… Being committed to the vision of reaching our world for Christ… the great task of making disciples, baptizing & teaching… Commitment to a clear vision…
· Commitment to roll up your sleeves & jump into the task God calls you to… Commitment…
o Nov 20, 1979 – I soloed for the first time… rolling down the runway… I committed to flight!
o What an experience – all by myself… freighting yet by faith I made a commitment & soared!
· Commitment is simply “Focused Purpose”… it ignites action…
Commitment to…
1. Maintain a Servants Attitude.
1Co 3:5-9 5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe
· What is Paul, What is Apollos? ONLY SERVANTS (diakonos – where we get our word deacon). They were workers on the same team serving the Lord. They were servants with a “can do” attitude to reach people with the Gospel message.
· This word has been rendered "under-rowers", men who tug at the oars on the lowest bench on a galley… In ancient times, there were three banks of galley-rowers: those on the upper bank had the advantage of fresh air; those beneath were more shut in; but the lowest rowers would faint with the heat. Their rapid strokes consumed the life forces of the slaves. Chained to the oars and in the worst position—that was their lot… ONLY SERVANTS - “under-rowers”…
John 12:26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
· With a servant’s heart… literally, to run on errands… to do whatever is necessary to accomplish God’s purpose on earth… Jesus said whoever serves me MUST follow me… (maintenance is required)
Matthew 23:11 The greatest among you will be your servant.
Matthew 20:28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
· I look around Cross Creek and see God’s servants… Workday yesterday – Thank You! (Next Sat. also)
· Jesus came to serve not to be served… He came to give His life for sin, so we can experience new life.
· Do you ever become tired in your service to the Lord? Are you engaged in ministry?
Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Maintain a servants “Attitude” – an inward feeling expressed by behavior
· Stay busy rowing the boat and you won’t have time to rock it… (Individual about Easter message)
· We all get tired & weary… who will help lighten the load? Seeing what needs to be done & then doing it?
· An attitude can be positive, negative or neutral… The people had a jealousy… one followed Paul while someone else followed Apollos… causing fights… acting out your feelings
· Glorifying God should be our focus in everything we do. The only way to accomplish that is by giving Him one hundred percent of ourselves one hundred percent of the time
Commitment to…
2. Know my Ministry “Fit”.
5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe--as the Lord has assigned to each his task.
“Ministry” – Everything you do in fulfilling Christ’s mission!
· I stand amazed at the potential sitting before me… Everyone is a “10” in some area.
· Whatever you’re “good at” that’s what you need to be doing… “Every member a minister”
· The Lord assigns each of us his personal task… to literally “adventure” into (Acts 19:31)
· Committed to knowing your ministry fit” then serve Christ by serving one another.
1 Corinthians 12:18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.
Exodus 36:1 So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the LORD has commanded."
· He SHAPE’s us: Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, Experiences of life…God shaped each of us
· Our Spiritual gifts and our natural abilities are given to us by the Lord to be used for Him.
· Where’s your ministry “fit”… What are you good at? Masonry work? Carpentry? Electrical? Computers/Software? Audio/Video? General Helper? Gopher? Cleaner/picker-upper? Organizer? Websites? Financial? Prayer warrior? Encourager? Teacher? … Committed to KNOW your “fit”…
· Working in cooperation with the Lord, complementing each other… the church grows. (Under-rowers)
Commitment to…
3. Trust God to Accomplish Great Things.
6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.
· Paul sowed the Word of God (Evangelist)… Apollos watered it (Discipleship)… But the Lord is the one who produces results… Salvation & spiritual growth…
· Jesus said “I will build my church (Mt 16:18)… I will accomplish great and awesome things… Trust me, have Faith in me and I will do great things!
· God is with us in every moment; follow Him, drink in His words, and be covered with the dust of His feet, allow Him do great things through you… Have unswerving faith in our Almighty God!
John 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
· Apart from Christ… serving for the wrong motives or in the flesh… you can do “0” – nothing…
· God is the source of all blessings & growth… seek to please Him… never limit Him
William Booth said, “Faith and works should travel side by side, step answering to step, like the legs of men walking. First faith, and then works; and then faith again, and then works again—until they can scarcely distinguish which is the one and which is the other.”
· All things are possible - Faith is like having radar that sees through the fog of the unknown…
· Guard against Doubt, Distractions, Discouragement… there always will be trying times.
· Stay focused of God & His glory… then watch the problems shrink.
· “God made it grow” in accordance with our faithfulness, obedience, commitment level.
Commitment to…
4. Persevere to Fulfill God’s Eternal Plan.
8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
· To persevere is to pursue steadily a project… to maintain the purpose in spite of counter influences, opposition, or discouragement… not to give up or abandon the dream (the tool of a new building).
We are surrounded by distractions every day, and it can be easy to let them cloud our vision and take our focus off of Christ. But we must learn to recognize when that is happening so that we can put aside those distractions and fix our eyes on Him. As with any area of life that needs to be mastered, focusing on Christ takes discipline and preparation. If we start out by turning our day over to the Lord, it will be easier for us to be aware of His presence throughout the day; and that awareness will help us avoid becoming distracted.
· Moses persevered because he saw Him who is invisible – He “saw” God and lived by faith
Hebrews 11:27 By faith he (Moses) left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.
Don’t Quit ~
When things go wrong as they sometimes will.
When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill.
When funds are low and the debts are high. And you want to smile, but you have
to sigh.
When care is pressing you down a bit. Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns. As everyone of us sometimes learns.
And many a failure turns about. When he might have won had he stuck it out:
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow – You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out – The silver tint of the clouds of doubt
And you never can tell how close you are. It may be near when it seems so far:
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit – It’s when things seem worst that
you must not quit.
· Perseverance, though hard sometimes, brings awesome eternal rewards!
9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
The Choice within You…
ü Evaluate my present situation of Life. (what are you doing for Christ… how are you serving Him?)
ü Discern where God is working. (Many ministries & lives being touched at Cross Creek…)
ü Join Him in making a difference. (Get involved, affecting lives forever…)
2 Corinthians 4:15-18 15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
See the Invisible ~ Dream the Incredible ~ Do the Impossible
Be in prayer concerning our Celebration Sunday May 6th…
· Special Building Fund Offering ~ Ongoing… faith commitments
· Ground Breaking Ceremony ~ Preparing us for the future
· Fellowship Dinner ~ Twin Pavilions ~ good weather… good time