I watched more basketball last night than in the past 30 years. In fact the last time I watched a basketball game was probably the one time I went while I was at University. (This is nothing against basketball—the only athletic events I’ve watched in the past 30 years, save a few random minutes of football, consist of 1 high school football game and 1 minor league baseball game.)
SO why this change of heart?
Early yesterday morning an ACTION team arrived in Thailand. This team is comprised of just over 20 young men and women basketball players from the US and Canada who are here to teach basketball skills and engage in some competition. Along the way they will have the opportunity to tell people what Jesus has done in their lives.
Last night the group met at a park here in Bangkok for some pick-up games. Even with my limited knowledge of the game (the object is to get the ball in the hoop on your opponents side of the court), I was able to notice something. The first group of locals that our guys played against went very fast. It seems like there were only seconds between one of the ACTION team members putting the ball in the basket.
The next game took a bit longer. And our guys had to work a bit harder. One reason for this appeared to be that their opponents seemed to function more as a team than a group of individuals. No one person seemed to want to hog all the glory for himself, the object was to score for the team. It took them longer to get the ball down to the net, but when they did they were more likely to score.
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| Robert Sandoval passes the ball to team member Ricky Sanchez |
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| Looking for a team member to pass the ball to |
The church is supposed to function as a team. The apostle Paul writes:
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:4-7 NIV)
God gifts us with abilities in order that we might use them for the common good of the church. The church functions best when this happens and it loses its reputation the quickest when this doesn’t.
Even our being here in Thailand is a result of teamwork. There are people who support us financially and who pray for us and who encourage us. There are staff in Canada and the US who take care of mundane and not-so-mundane tasks. There are fellow missionaries we learn from and are encouraged by. There is the local church here where we minister and can be ministered to. Even the ACTION Team that has come to play basketball functions as part of our team, helping us tell the people of Thailand the good news of what Jesus has done.
Pray for the ACTION team as they serve here over the next two weeks. Pray that they will be safe. Pray for opportunities for them to share their faith. Pray that they would grow closer to Jesus. Pray that they would catch a vision for bringing the good news of Jesus to people who have not heard.
