Working together as one body

Romans 12:4-5 (NLT)

4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

The apostle explains that all the saints’ work together to make up the body of Christ, with Christ being at the head of the body directing and leading. Not everyone performs the same work, nor does everyone have the same authority; for each are unique individual members of the body working as a whole to perform the functions for Christ. We must all work in love and harmony with each other so that we can perform all the functions necessary for the church. We work together, supporting one another, encouraging one and motivating each other to do what is right.

Coach Carter is the true story of Ken Carter (Samuel Jackson), a successful sporting goods store owner, who in 1999 became head basketball coach for his old high school in a poor area of Richmond, California.

Dismayed by the attitudes of his players and their dismal performance on the court, Carter sets out to change both. He immediately imposes a strict regime that includes respectful behavior, a dress code, and good grades as a prerequisite of participation.

One particular player, Timo Cruz (Rick Gonzalez), initially refuses to accept the coach's demands and quits the team, only to return later with a desire to be reinstated. Timo asks Coach Carter what he has to do to play. Carter informs Cruz that he must complete 2,500 push-ups and 1,000 suicide drills by Friday? A task even the coach calls "impossible."

By Friday, Timo is short of both goals. Coach Carter, though impressed with what Timo has done, asks him to leave the gym. He has failed.

Suddenly, one of Timo's teammates, Jason (Channing Tatum), who previously had a personality conflict with Timo, steps forward saying, "I'll do push-ups for him. You said we're a team. One person struggles, we all struggle. One player triumphs, we all triumph. Right?"

As Coach Carter stands speechless, Jason drops to the floor and begins doing push-ups. One by one the entire team begins to join in to help Timo reach his goal.

[Coach Carter (Paramount Pictures, 2005); directed by Thomas Carter; submitted by Van Morris, Mt. Washington, Kentucky]

The Christian life is working together as one body. When one member gets weak then another member helps in the place of the other person. When one person is discouraged, another member encourages. As Christians let us stand firmly together, helping one another so that we can do the work of Christ, not by ourselves, but as a body of believers with a common goal in purpose.