Great Teams of the New Testament

Isaiah 61:10-11 “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its bud, As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.”

Teamwork in Life

You can have two stubborn mules or oxen, and they can be just as stubborn together.

Some are like that in their marriage. They are more concerned about themselves, their ego, their desires. Sometimes children in the family are like that, perhaps they learn it from their parents. Sometimes brethren are like that.

Being a part of a team means that you're united together, not just united but for the same cause (union vs unity) Some athletes have big salaries and egos to match, no loyalty; they're selfish; more concerned about their statistics, how they look. The teams that win are those that are united. They're full of enthusiasm. They overlook the mistakes of others.

The principle is unity; togetherness. God's pattern is that we are united for the cause of Christ.

Christians are a Team Wedded to God

The relation of God to His people is often referred to in the Bible as a marriage. Prophet in Is. 61 speaks of the righteous; those blessed through the promises of Abraham

In the New Testament the relation of God to His people is spoken of in different ways: Col 1:18, Eph. 1:22,23 (“the body”, “his body”)

Ephesians 2:19-22; Revelation 21:1-4; Galatians 4:4-5

Ephesians 2:19-22 household, spiritual building, holy temple, God's habitation through the Spirit; kingdom - governing aspect; church - togetherness aspect

Revelation 21:1-4 This is a picture of a happy marriage; one that will last forever This is what God intended from the beginning

Everything was good until man was separated from God as a result of sin. However, God provided salvation through a New Covenant.

Galatians 4:4-5 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, (5) to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

All this reminds us that God has provided a FAMILY for us to be a part of - a family wedded to Him. Teamwork in a family is extremely important! Let’s consider some great teams or “duos” of the New Testament.

Teams of Disciples

Paul and Barnabas

The most documented of our teams.

Acts 11:22-26; 12:25-13:5; 13:43-52; 15:36-41

Acts 11:22-26 - This must have been a great year at Antioch! Almost as if Barnabas takes Saul under his wing early on, and helps him immeasurably.

Acts 12:25-13:5 - The Holy Spirit Himself called upon them for this work. Consider that their ministry and fasting together led to this opportunity.

Acts 13:43-52 - (in Antioch) This team spoke boldly against those who would persecute the saints!

Teamwork can accomplish great things within the Kingdom of Christ.

Acts 15:36-41 - They DID face moments of disagreement! How did they handle this? They went separate ways for a time. The important part is that they didn’t allow this personal disagreement to drive a wedge into where they were working.

Galatians 2:13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

2 Timothy 4:11 – At some point, they worked it out!

When we are in a team, we care about our teammates. We don’t let them go astray without dealing with it.

Lois and Eunice

2 Timothy 1:3-7 - How important Lois and Eunice must be to be mentioned by Paul in this light!

So important to have good, Godly mothers and grandmothers who properly teach their children about God as they grow up, thoroughly and consistently.

It can bring about great things, as we see in Timothy!

Paul and Timothy

Acts 16:1-5 - Paul sees great things in Timothy, and he has a good report about him from the brethren in Lystra.

Paul’s interest in Timothy is evident by the two letters we have in the Bible written to him.

1 Timothy 1:2 To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Part of being a team is showing the proper amount of interest and affection for others you are working with. I doubt there was much distance or awkwardness between Paul and Timothy! Paul often refers to him as “my son” - a big term of endearment!

Aquila and Priscilla

Acts 18:1-2 We are first introduced to them as Paul met them at Corinth

Ephesians 5:21-33 - Many marriages lack the main ingredient to make marriage work.

Acts 18:3 Tent makers - If you were asked what is your vocation, what would be your response? You would probably think about what you do for a living. This was secondary for Aquila and Priscilla.

Acts 18:24-26 - Their motive is TRUTH, and they share that truth. Notice that they did not publicly rebuke Apollos, but “took him aside”. Working for God means having love for souls that are ignorant and lost.

1 Corinthians 16:19; Romans 16:3-5 - Paul’s appreciation for them is obvious.

Observations on all these Teams

These Teams Knew their Calling.

Ephesians 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;

When we enter by faith into Christ, we accept the call to live the life of Christ, obey, and walk according to precepts laid down; love; loyalty; commitment; faithfulness; devotion.

Many want to go to heaven but don't know/unsure how to get there. How do you expect to get there?

Psalms 1:1-3 - This is an active participation in the Kingdom!

Teams will not be successful if they don’t know what the goal is. With the goal and aim to serve the Lord you can be successful.

These Teams were successful Workers.

Easy to see faults - Agape love looks out for the best in others (1 Cor 13)

Love for God; love for others; love for the souls of men; concern; wanting to see people saved, grow.

It takes wisdom, patience, tact; human nature - people resist correction, change;

Proverbs 9:8 Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you.

We need to learn how to talk to people, be a friend to them.

Proverbs 18:19 A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city, and quarreling is like the bars of a castle.

These Teams were Faithful to the Lord

They moved often, but this did not make them neglect God or God's people. When some move or travel, they don't consider where they will worship. Some let family hinder them.

Matthew 10:34-39 - This passage is all about how our love for Christ must overcome anything. We need to remember, however, that if we are a team working together for the Lord, we can HELP each other meet this great goal!

If Paul was writing a letter and mentioning our names, what would he say? Would he give thanks for you as he did for Aquila and Priscilla? Would you be missed if you were absent? If you left?

1 John 3:16-19 - How does our dedication compare to these teams?