Teamwork
“Mark 6:7-13, especially vs. 7: “And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.” Let us take note of the nature and scope of this verse’s message, for it is issued to all the faithful. The Lord calls us, His disciples, to Himself. He sends us out in teams…” (OCPM 9/13/2017)
“Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Mount Everest in 1953, many climbers have attempted to scale its deadly slopes. Often skilled mountaineers are forced back by winds and snow. Some die every year on the way up, or disappear before returning to their camps below. We learn from their bitter experience that loners and individualists most often fail to reach the summit, and run a greater risk of perishing. Only teams can succeed – and only then by working together and cooperating with the forces of nature. Spiritual life works in a similar manner. The Pharisees listened to Jesus’ teachings, and yet they still “derided Him”. In kindness and wisdom, He warns them – and all other foolish spiritual individualists – that certain failure awaits those who rely on their own spiritual strength and worthiness to attain the kingdom of Heaven.” (Dynamis 11/21/2014)
“When I was in college, I competed in a sport called “crew”…Part of the beauty was an intuitive sense of teamwork and unity among the men….We were all interdependent on one another. Not only was it a joy to win the race and compete well, but the privilege to experience that perfection of teamwork was an aesthetic and spiritual reward in itself.” (Keith Intrater)
“Our strength comes from God, but He meets many of our needs through our teamwork with others….It is a human tendency to overestimate what we can do by ourselves and to underestimate what we can do as a group. But as the body of Christ, we can accomplish more together than we would dream possible working by ourselves.” (Life Application Study Bible, Ephesians 4:12-13, Mark 6:7)
“We must each see ourselves as vital members of the body, each entrusted with the care of the whole.” (Jane Winebrenner and Debra Frazier)