The Power of Together

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. - Helen Keller

Some of the more famous thoughts on this subject:

We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately. - Benjamin Franklin

Great things are not done by impulse, but a series of small things brought together. - Vincent Van Gogh

We gather together as a brothers and sisters in Christ to reach, teach, and nurture a thirsty world with the Good News of Jesus Christ. We could do this separately, but we could do so much more together! We have a school ministry because we work together.

And this is good.

But there is something that we cannot do together or separately.

“the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness” - Romans 4:5

We are saved by God alone, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Yet, He loves us so much that He teams up with us – He works together with us. Not in salvation, but what comes after salvation – living! God is the strength of our team. Just like in Team Hoyt.

[note: here I used a video from sermonspice.com about Team Hoyt - a Father-Son running and triathlon team]

God is the strength of our team.

God is the only strength of our team.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through m.” - John 14:6

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. - Acts 4:12

This doesn’t sit well with people. We want to be tolerant, and there is nothing wrong with that. But this tends to lead us to be inclusive and there is something wrong with that – it isn’t the truth and the consequences are deadly – eternally deadly.

Salvation is exclusive – there is only one road. There is only way to be saved. Just as there is only one way that Rick Hoyt can cross the finish line of each race, there is only one way that we can finish the race we are in – and that is through the power of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for us.

Now is your time. It will be very liberating when you finally give up your ideas of self-reliance and self-preservation. As Max Lucado says, you can’t save you. Turn to God and live the life He intends for you – a life of freedom from sin, death and the power of the devil.

Because of Jesus’ death, you can live.