Soul Brothers

We are all soul brothers—a nation all of one blood, the blood of Jesus.—David Brandt Berg

I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.—Jesus, John 17:111

Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.—Acts 2:46

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.—Acts 4:32

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.—1 Corinthians 12:12–13

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.—Ephesians 2:19–22

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.— Colossians 3:15

Unity is like love. God can give it, but you need to let it grow in your heart.—Maria Fontaine

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.—Ecclesiastes 4:9–10, 12

All your strength is in union, all your danger is in discord.—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

You climb the ladder of unity by walking up the rungs of love.—Maria Fontaine

Great challenges require great teamwork, and the quality most needed among teammates amid the pressure of a difficult challenge is collaboration. Notice that I didn't say “cooperation,” because collaboration is more than that. Cooperation is working together agreeably. Collaboration is working together aggressively. Collaborative teammates do more than just work with one another. Each person brings something to the table that adds value to the relationship and to the team. The sum of truly collaborative teamwork is always greater than its parts.—John C. Maxwell2

Ask yourself what’s worth more: a loving bond with your brothers and sisters and the blessings of God, or your opinions, pet peeves, and grudges.—Maria Fontaine

As much as we admire solo achievement, the belief that one person can do something great is a myth. There are no real Rambos who can take on an entire hostile army by themselves. Even the Lone Ranger wasn’t really a loner. Everywhere he went he rode with Tonto!

Look below the surface and you will find that all seemingly solo acts are really team efforts. Frontiersman Daniel Boone had companions from the Transylvania Company as he blazed the Wilderness Road. Sheriff Wyatt Earp had his two brothers and Doc Holliday looking out for him. Aviator Charles Lindbergh had the backing of nine businessmen from St. Louis and the services of the Ryan Aeronautical Company, which built his plane. Albert Einstein, the scientist who revolutionized the world with his theory of relativity, didn’t work in a vacuum. Of the debt he owed to others for his work, Einstein once remarked, “Many times a day I realize how much my own outer and inner life is built upon the labors of my fellow men, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received.” It’s true that history is marked by the accomplishments of many strong leaders and innovative individuals who took considerable risks. But these people were always part of teams.…

A Chinese proverb states, “Behind an able man there are always other able men.” The truth is that teamwork is at the heart of great achievement. The question isn’t whether teams have value. The question is whether we acknowledge that fact and become better team players. That’s why I assert that one is too small a number to achieve greatness. You cannot do anything of real value alone. That is the Law of Significance.

If you want to reach your potential or strive for the seemingly impossible—such as communicating your message two thousand years after you are gone—you need to become a team player. Individuals play the game, but teams win championships.—John C. Maxwell3

It’s wonderful for Christians to be able to fellowship together. It’s something that we should really desire, because, after facing numerous problems all day—or for several days, or all week—we need that time together with others who believe as we do, who love the Lord, and are serving Him and living for Him.

In the world today, living a Christian life is not always an easy task, so it’s a blessing to get together with other Christians for fellowship, to read and study God’s Word together, to sing and praise the Lord, to unitedly pray for one another and to ask for prayer for our individual problems or needs. It’s also a good time to have communion together.

We are told in Hebrews 10:25, “Let us not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another.” The Lord knew that we would need united fellowship with other Christians for our own inspiration and for spiritual refreshing, and for being strengthened by His Word. Also, as the above verse says, meeting together is a time to encourage one another. There is also great power in unity, and there’s just something about united prayer and fellowship that brings down the Lord’s blessing.—David Brandt Berg

1 All scriptures in this post are from the New International Version (NIV).

2 The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007).

3 The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2001).

Soul Brothers

A compilation