Exciting word pictures from the field of athletics are sprinkled throughout the New Testament, yet they’re often hidden underneath our various English translations. One such image with vivid application is found in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, embedded within a passage we looked at a couple weeks ago at Mayfair Bible Church:
“Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.” (Phil. 1:27 – NASB)
These days, the phrase “striving together” has a double connotation – one for a fight scene and another for teamwork. God’s command here is not that we don boxing gloves and begin punching each other on the beak, but instead unite as a team on a singular mission for the sake of God’s good news to the world.
In Daniel James Brown’s modern classic The Boys in the Boat, he details the captivating, true story of the mid-1930s rowing team from the University of Washington. At that time in history, rowing teams were just as popular as college football or basketball teams are today. Most of the boys on the UW team were from working-class families. They knew how to work hard and endure pain. All of them had significant academic and athletic ability. The renowned Coach Ulbrickson put them through a grueling yearlong training program and would only recruit from those who completed his course.
After winning against their arch-rival, U.C. Berkeley, Ulbrickson set his sights on the 1936 Berlin Olympics. But while his team had many gifted rowers, the young men were not working together to produce the “synchronicity and close cooperation – in a word, ‘swing’ – necessary for Olympic victory.” [1]
Only after some of the students worked side-by-side on the Grand Coulee dam did they begin to realize how similar they were, despite their different physical and mental capabilities. They returned to school that fall as a team united around one purpose. Coach Ulbrickson found that every rower needed to be skilled and built in different ways, yet functioning with all the others in perfect humility and unity. The result? The motley crew of young rowers from middle-class America brought home the gold at the 1936 Olympics.
With each paddle dipping into the water in perfect rhythm, so God calls us to “contend side-by-side for the faith of the Gospel.” Each of us is wired and gifted in different ways by our amazingly creative God. No two rowers are alike. The same goes for church members in the body of Christ. So we must exercise humility, which is the Spirit-directed source of unity.
Why is this so important? Our mission effectiveness hinges on our oneness. A one-man band or a split team will never blaze down the river to the glory of their Captain. Only through all of us, in the power of the Spirit, functioning together in one boat toward one goal will we accomplish what God has called us to do. Will this be easy, comfortable, or a quick study? No way. But what great goal was ever achieved with no challenge?
Imagine a day…
…when thousands of men, women, and children are thriving in Jesus Christ across Genesee County…bringing the gospel into their workplaces, neighborhoods, and community epicenters. Envision a week when instead of a person dying from heroin (more than one per week is the current data), one person per week is coming to saving faith in Christ at Mayfair Bible Church. Pray for marriages to be restored by the Gospel and children to return to vibrant devotion to Jesus. Dream of a year when we send out 10 church planters and 25 missionaries to local and foreign fields…
Let’s grip a hold of what God can do.
Gospel mission is our goal. Let’s point our oars in that direction.
GO Team Mayfair… to the praise of God’s glory and grace!
“If I find myself half-carelessly taking lapses for granted, ‘Oh, that’s what they always do,’ ‘Oh, of course she talks like that, he acts like that,’ then I know nothing of Calvary love.”
“If I can enjoy a joke at the expense of another; if I can in any way slight another in conversation, or even in thought, then I know nothing of Calvary love.”
About IF: Many years ago, a young woman from Ireland traveled to India to reach abused, enslaved, and unsaved women and children. She would serve there from 1895 until her death in 1951. Her ministry, Dohnavur Fellowship, continues today as a faithful Christian organization. During her many years of ministry, Amy Carmichael put together a small journal of convicting, heart-probing truths, each of which begin with the word “IF.” Each week, for the next several months, you’ll find a couple of entries in the Weekly Connection from Amy’s brief yet poignant book.
- Another Pastor Ended His Life: A Reflection on Pastoring: Pastor Phil Steiger wrote a powerful essay as the news rolled out last week of yet another evangelical pastor committing suicide. I’m highly encouraging all my fellow Christians and pastor-friends to read this well-timed article. Click here: Another Pastor Ended His Life: A Reflection on Pastoring
- Mayfair on YouTube: A team of our volunteers has been working hard behind the scenes to set-up a professional quality video broadcast of our Sunday morning services. We hope and pray this new ministry will benefit our many shut-ins, snow-birds, vacationers, as well as reach others outside of Mayfair with the grace and truth of God’s Word. You can watch the next live-stream here on BoxCast. We also encourage you to check out and subscribe to Mayfair’s YouTube channel
here, where you’ll find Sunday AM sermons, baptism testimonies, and much more. Click here: Mayfair on YouTube
In God’s Vineyard,
