I Corinthians 12:14-15,18 For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?… but now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
One of my greatest privileges while serving on a church staff for 13 years has been the opportunity to serve alongside other men of God who are leaders in their own right – men who are making a real difference in their ministries and who sharpen me constantly.
Just like in the church as a whole, the ministry staff functions much the same way. Some are the feet, others the hands. We each have a different role to fill, yet we’re all attached to the same body. Therefore, maintaining a spirit of unity and humility among the team is essential.
When everyone on a team (whether it be a church, a ministry staff, or any other team your serve on) make their contribution as well as recognize the contribution of the others on the team, the job gets done. The hands don’t have to be good at what the feet are good at, and the feet don’t have to be jealous because of what the hands get to do.
Feet make hands look good when they allow them to be hands. And hands make feet look good when they allow them to be feet.
Think about Bible duos like Jonathan & David or Barnabus & Paul. Jonathan & Barnabus were men who could have easily become jealous or resentful towards their partners if they hadn’t recognized their God-given contribution as a specific part of the team. But their ability to allow each other’s gifts and strengths to compliment rather than divide brought about great success in their ministries.
Think of whatever kind of a team you are on and consider a few ways that feet can make hands look good:
1. Be confident in YOUR calling.
What God has called you to do is not what God has called someone else to do; and what God has called them to do is not what God has called you to do.
Verse 17… “If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?”
Just as strange as it would be if we started hearing with our eyes and smelling with our ears, it’s a strange thing in ministry when people start trying to be something God never intended them to be.
Whatever team God has placed you on, you are there to compliment one another, not compete with one another. God receives no glory and the church receives no benefit when there is a sense of competition on the team.
There is great peace, accomplishment, and fulfillment in being a part of a team where every person is confident in their own calling and what God has gifted them to be able to add to the team.
2. REJOICE when other members of the body succeed.
Verse 26… “whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it.”
If you want to know whether or not you’re a true team player, answer this question, “What is my internal response when others on the team succeed?” If our response is one of secret resentment because we somehow think their good makes us look bad, we’re not doing our ministry or our team any favors. On the flip side, when others on the team fail, and we’re secretly joyful because we think their bad makes us look good, we are equally as guilty.
When one of my team members succeeds, I am to rejoice with them. Don’t get mad or jealous when the hand succeeds at being a hand or when the foot succeeds at being a foot. Rather, rejoice in the fact that God is using them to accomplish His purposes!
Again, Jonathan and Barnabus paint a beautiful picture of this in their supportive role of their successfully rising counterparts. Even when their team members excelled and sometimes exceeded their own successes, they rejoiced with them.
The opposite perspective of that is seen in the negative example of King Saul. When Saul saw David as a threat to his throne, even though it was ordained of God that David would rule, Saul’s jealousy led to terrible actions and devastating consequences.
There is great positive power in rejoicing with your team members when they succeed, and great damage that can be brought about when we fail to do so.
3. Recognize the value of TEAM.
Great teams recognize that there is no “I” in TEAM. No successful team is a one man show, and if it seems to be that way, it won’t be for long.
When I understand that I need my fellow team members and they understand that they need me, there is synergy. And when there is synergy, there is productivity.
The vision and mission of a church or any team is greater than any one of it’s members. No one of us could accomplish it by ourselves, and we do well to recognize that.
Nothing will kill a team quicker than any one member who wants to always be the “star player”. When someone on your team excels, praise them and rejoice with them, for in doing so, you not only strengthen them, but yourself as well.
True teams excel together. Successful churches move forward together. Thriving ministries rejoice together.
Isn’t that what being part of a team is all about anyway? Each of us with talents individually, working to reach a common goal collectively. Team is what makes that possible.
It doesn’t matter what part of the body you may be. Like my Pastor likes to say, “Everybody is Somebody in the Body.” Whether you’re head or shoulders, knees or toes, one thing is for sure – God is pleased when He sees feet making hands look good.
