If the apostle Paul were an athlete, I think he would be more like Cristiano Ronaldo than Tiger Woods. (Okay, so he wouldn’t be like either of them in a lot of ways, but stick with me for a minute.)

Sometimes I think we imagine Paul as the brave evangelist facing the Gentile world alone. He stands at the “golf tee,” preparing to drive the Gospel deep into the fairway of Greece, or Italy. The crowd is silent. Paul stands a solitary figure, his mind full of unspoken plans and desires, his eyes probing the distance and judging the opportunities and obstacles ahead of him. Without a word, reliant on his strength alone, he launches his next missionary journey and sets off on adventure. This is a vision of Paul like a Tiger Woods – a lone hero.

But that’s not a picture accurate to history or to the heart of Paul. Paul saw the Christian life as a team sport. Even at the fringes of frontier Gospel work, Paul was a man shouldering the load of ministry with others. I recently read that Cristiano Ronaldo was the recipient of the badge for Player of the Season by the elite Serie A soccer (sorry, fútbol) league in Italy. He is widely considered one of the best players in the sport alive today. However, unlike every other winner of the prestigious award from last season, Ronaldo chose not to wear his badge on his game uniform. According to some sources, this decision was to avoid the appearance that he was any better than his teammates. A great player on a team is often the difference between victory and defeat. However, a great player without a team is a guaranteed loser.

Paul was wise enough to know the value of setting out with a Barnabus, with a John-Mark, with a Silas. He knew when to draft key additions to the team like a Timothy or a Titus. He accepted the help of others in aiding his own weaknesses such as bringing the good doctor Luke along for many of his travels. Even while in jail, as we saw this Sunday, Paul was keenly aware of the rest of the team and how they were doing. Their partnership in the Gospel, their fellowship as a team, was Paul’s great joy and consolation. Even if Paul fell, the team would continue to advance.

Our success as Christians often depends on the success of the teams we invest ourselves in. This includes our families, our Life Groups, our ministries, our local church. Occasionally God brings along particularly gifted people who stand out in unique ways, like a Paul. We could each probably mention a dozen or so names of prominent Christians with national or global platforms for ministry. Individuals, however, are not the power of the Church. The Spirit-filled, Spirit-united body of Christ working as a team is. When Ronaldo chooses to guard against the pride of thinking he is above his team, that is a wise decision. That empowers the team as a whole. It also may very well result in Ronaldo scoring more goals.

When we as a church operate as a healthy team of healthy teams, we unlock the true potential for ministry that God desired when He put the individual members of Valley Bible Church together.

What teams has God put you on? How are you investing in their health? How well are we partnering together for the sake of the Gospel? As we live out the answer to these questions we shall, with grace and peace, minister the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ to ourselves and to our world. Now that’s a goal the whole team can strive for.