Team Builder

We’ve been talking about the path of life, where we are reminded that each of us is in a different place in our walk together with God.  We’ve already covered what it is like to sense God, hear God and then Join God even after being far away.  We’ve reminded ourselves that when we come home to the Father through the Son, we receive the Holy Spirit and everything changes.  While our thoughts, habits, and situations don’t change instantly, they begin to change as we build a relationship with God more and more in our lives.  We become life builders as we walk with God.  We become relationship builders as we invite God into our relationships.  When we build our marriage around God, we become marriage builders and, as we raise our children in the training and instruction of the Lord, we become family builders.  Now, we will look beyond the family to serving other people.  As we lead in the Body of Christ, we become Team Builders.

In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. (Acts 6:1 NIV)

A Team Builder is our term for a person who matches the role of a Biblical deacon.  We are using a different name for two reasons.  First of all, the Greek word διάκονος gets transliterated into the English word, deacon.  That is not a translation of the meaning.  The literal meaning would be something close to “table waiter.”  So, we want to use an English term that translates the meaning and purpose better than a letter by letter transliteration.

The second reason we are using a different term is simple.  “Deacon” carries with it many meanings from many different church backgrounds, denominations, and congregations.  Often times, these meanings have nothing to do with the Biblical role these people lived in the life of the early church.  Since we do not want to bring these “extra” meanings along, we are simply using a different term.

So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word." (Acts 6:2-4 NIV)

You probably have noticed that the word “Builder” is showing up in a lot of these titles.  That is because we’ve learned over the years that it is important to have that reminder right in front of us all the time.  In each of these roles, we are living out our part of Christ’s Body “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12-13 [NIV]).  Team Builders, then, are building up the Body by working together with others (a team) to live out a specific ministry that builds up the Body.

This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. (Acts 6:5-6 NIV)

The first Team Builders (deacons) did this by administering a food program for the widows who could not support themselves.  They were living out roughly the equivalent to our modern day 500 Turkeys, Hilltop Dinner (monthly at Life Bridge starting this Friday), or Cafe Manna (weekly at St. Teresa’s down the street).  These ministries, like the original food distribution program, are vital to the health and wellbeing of God’s Church as well as outreach to the surrounding community.  Team Builders work toward these ends while building up the people who work with them.  The result?

So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. (Acts 6:7 NIV)

How about you?  Are you a working together with others to build up the Body of Christ and reach out to our community with God’s love?  Are you a team builder?