Children’s Lesson 5

BEING A GOOD TEAM MEMBER

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. He said, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

The Apollo mission was a success because a team of members worked day and night for years. Neil Armstrong was only one of over 218,000 people who helped with the Apollo project. He received most of the recognition, but he would be the first to tell you- “It was a team effort.”

It’s the same at church. Church is like a team sport. In order to do the work God has called us to do, we must work together like a team.

Ephesians 4:11-12 says – And Christ gave gifts to men—he made some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to go and tell the Good News, and some to have the work of caring for and teaching God’s people. Christ gave those gifts to prepare God’s holy people for the work of serving. He gave those gifts to make the body of Christ stronger.

In order to succeed as a church and as individuals, we must have a Team Player attitude. In Ephesians 4:2 Paul shows us how to do this. He wrote ~Always be humble and gentle. Be patient and accept each other with love.

That seems simple, but Always, not so easy . . . is it?

  • That means the team is more important than me.
  • That means I will be kind- all the time.
  • That means I will be helpful.

Life is a team sport, and our job is to encourage everyone on the team — when they hit a homerun and when they strike out with the bases loaded.

When you read the Good News about Jesus, it doesn’t take long to realize how His helpers were always messing up. James and John wanted to be first, Peter was always doing something or talking without thinking, Simon was always in a big hurry. The other helpers at one time or another were scared, selfish, and even mean. But Jesus didn’t give up on them, and these men changed the world. They kept on doing the things Jesus taught them even though they made some mistakes.

You will make mistakes, and Jesus will never give up on you. Just keep doing what He teaches you to do. Do you believe Jesus will never give up on you?

Go to Romans Road to Salvation and/or Prayer of Rededication