6. It takes team work
So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work. (Nehemiah 4:6 NKJV)
Notice the word 'we' on the verse above. It indicates team effort. The work was carried by a team. Great visions require a team to accomplish. In fact, if your dream can be accomplished by a singular effort, it might not be significant enough. Big dreams require a team to pull through. All great leaders have one thing in common, they work with a team. One secret that they share is that they surround themselves with a good team.
In Exodus 18, Jethro, Moses' father in law, cautions him about the dangers of working alone and advised him to work in a team. 'So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good. Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself. Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens." (Exodus 18:17-18, 21 NKJV)
No matter how talented one might be, it is never good to work alone. Christ said, 'the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few' (Mark 9 v 37). The work indeed is too much and too big for one person. No one should wear themselves out doing work alone. Wisdom dictates that the work be divided among a team. Many leaders have ended up with ill health due to lack of delegating and sharing work. Many marriages have been ruined due to over commitment to work. Many kids have grown up with a present but unavailable father due to unhealthy pursuit of riches. Jethro cautions, 'this thing is too much for you, you are not able to perform it by yourself.'
However, in delegating work to a team, two most important standards come to mind. You are to chose people of ability and integrity. Jethro said to Moses, ' chose able men, such as fear God..'. Do not compromise on these standards. Talent alone is never enough. People having talent without integrity are setting themselves up for a great and shattering fall. While those having integrity without talent will find themselves making minimum progress. You need both talent and integrity in equal measure. These are like two sides of the same coin.
The importance of team work can not be over emphasized. The Lord Jesus Himself worked in a team. He had the twelve disciple that he later appointed as apostles. The Bible says, 'Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: (Luke 6:12-13 NKJV). This was Jesus's A team. Jesus chose his team prayerfully. If we claim to be followers of Christ, we will do well to follow Him even in this regard. Never be found working alone. Have a team, have a mentor, whatever you do, don't do it alone.
What about Paul, the great apostle and missionary ? Paul had Barnabas, Timothy, John-Mark, Luke, Titus, and Silas. He also had the lesser known Phoebe, Priscilla and Aquila, and the rest mentioned in Romans 16. He never worked alone.
Unity
Unity is the greatest feature within a team. I define unity as working together towards a common purpose. Therefore unity goes beyond coming together, talking together, or even knowing each other. True unity is revealed by sharing the load of the work. Being one in word, vision, direction and purpose. We can't claim unity if we are going in different directions. We cannot claim unity if we are talking different things.
There is great reward in pursuing unity. Psalm 133 says, ' Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! .... For there the LORD commanded the blessing— Life forevermore. (Psalms 133:1, 3 NKJV). People are fasting and praying for The Lord to bless them, not knowing that if they can achieve unity the blessing will come. Unity is a place of commanded blessing. The blessing is hovering around and will land wherever it finds unity.
Divisions
Divisions and factions are the main downfall within a team. Christ said, 'a house divided against itself shall not stand' (Mat 12 v 25). Division is therefore the great enemy within. When people were united, albeit for a wrong purpose, God said nothing shall be impossible to them (Gen 11 v 6). Similarly, when people are divided, nothing shall be possible to them.
Most of the time, divisions manifests themselves in factions. There can be factions of the rich versus the poor, the educated versus the working class. Whatever formations of factions, they should be condemned and discouraged.
We are one body in Christ , and each one is a member with significant value and purpose. The Bible says, 'As it is, there are many parts, but one body. On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. (1 Corinthians 12:20, 22-25 NIV)
The other evil that results in divisions is the formation of personality cults. When people start to separate themselves based on the leaders then we are on dangerous ground. 'For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one?' (I Corinthians 3:4-5 NKJV). No matter how powerful and charismatic the leader is, he/she is not greater than the church and certainly not greater than The Lord Christ. The Church of The Lord Jesus existed before, during and will continue long after great leaders. Here is good advise, 'Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours.' (I Corinthians 3:21 NKJV).
