Making Teamwork Work in the Body of Christ

As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable…

 1 Corinthians 12:20-22 

People can learn a good amount from nature. One way we can learn about teamwork is by looking at bees. On a hot day, about half the bees in a hive stay inside beating their wings while the other half go out to gather pollen and nectar.

Because of the beating wings, the temperature inside the hive is about 10 degrees cooler than outside. But what happens next is truly amazing: The bees rotate duties. So the bees that cool the hive one day are honey gatherers the next!

We, as the body of Christ, can learn a good amount from those bees. First, we can learn that there are different needs for Kingdom service. Some are called to teach, some are called to administrate. That’s the nature of any organization – not everyone can have the same job!

Second, we can learn that not everything we do is going to fulfill us 100% of the time. I can imagine a bee would much rather be buzzing around looking for flowers than stuck flapping his wings to cool down the hive.

Above all else, it’s crucial we understand that while not all roles in the body of Christ are equally exciting or receive equal praise, they’re equally important. Don’t despise your gifts. Use them to the fullest for the Kingdom!

Prayer Challenge:

Pray that God would give you a spirit of humility when it comes to fulfilling your role in the body of Christ.

Questions for Thought:

If you had the skills to fulfill a different role in serving the Lord, what role would it be?

What are the drawbacks to that role you’d like to fulfill? What would you get tired of doing?