One of the core components of the Radius program is to help students grow in their understanding and their practice of being a good teammate. A natural benefit of living on campus is that we have endless opportunities to apply what we are learning in our Team Dynamics class together as we tackle chores together, complete group assignments, participate in group workouts, care for each other’s kids, cook meals, negotiate water outages, learn language together, and many other things. Much could be said about what we’ve learned thus far, but I’d like to take you back to week 1 where the foundation of being a good teammate was laid. The question was posed, “What do you think will be your greatest strength as a team, and what will be your greatest enemy?” Friends, I invite you to consider these words in light of your own life and ministry.

HUMILITY will be your greatest strength, and PRIDE will be your greatest enemy.

In 1 Peter 5:5 we read, Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Those who walk humbly before the Lord will receive His grace – His unmerited favor, but those who walk in pride are in direct opposition with the Almighty. Pride is our greatest enemy because it goes to war against Christ and who we are created to be in Him. To be clear – Pride is putting yourself in the place of God; it is to claim His authority, His throne. It is an inordinate self-esteem or arrogance. And on a team it^[1]:

• Blinds us to our sin
• Refuses advice
• Makes excuses for mistakes
• Protects its position at any cost
• Fails to see its own shortcomings
• Opposes unity

On the contrary, humility is our greatest strength because God gives grace to the humble. The One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, dwells with and looks to the one who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at his word (Is 57:15 & 66:2). Our God looks to and dwells with those who know they have nothing apart from Him, and depend on Him to provide all they need. All we have in Christ is by grace alone — when we understand this reality our hearts are filled with deep gratitude and we are compelled to live a life that declares “not to us, oh Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory” (Ps 115:1). Therefore, the humble aim is to see God glorified and others built up so that they too will give Him glory. This is most clearly perceived in the example of Jesus who came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mk 10:45). His humility was displayed in His perfect obedience, and for the joy set before Him, he endured the cross (Phil 2, Heb 12:2). He taught us that in the economy of God success is measured by faithfulness, that to lose your life is to find it, to be last is to be first, that the way down is the way up, and to be great in His kingdom is to be a servant of all (Mt 16:25, Mk 9:35). Our King is gentle and lowly in heart (Mt 11:29) — He is a humble, faithful, servant, and we are not above him. The grace of Christ towards the humble turns them away from selfish ambition and vain conceit and enables them to count others more significant than themselves (Phil 2:3). Humility leads us to being of the same mind and having the same love (to see Christ glorified whether by life or by death). What the Lord gives us to do, let us do it faithfully, whether we are good at it or not. Teammates that walk in humility will:

• Welcome feedback and critique
• Rejoice in God’s grace at work in others
• Walk in repentance and forgiveness
• Not insist on their own way
• Seek the good of others
• Encourage and build up
• Serve like our Savior

So, as we go out to proclaim the gospel and plant churches, let us have this mind among ourselves which is ours in Christ Jesus (Phil 2:5).

[1]Lencionoi, Patrick. The Ideal Team Player. Hobokon, New Jersey: Jossey-Bass, 2016.