And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Ephesians 4:11-14

Mature manhood is not a solo venture.

Think about your favorite sports team. Even if you’re a big fan of golf, behind every great athlete is a robust team all working toward the same goal. As I watched my hometown baseball team play in a tightly contested game recently, it was evident the pitcher was struggling. The hitters took full advantage and hit the ball hard. It would have been a bad evening for my team, except for the great defense behind the guy on the mound. The front office equipped the team toward the goal of winning. The pitcher won the game, but not on his own. Just like a winning athlete is not separate from a great team, mature manhood is part of a larger effort.

God involves men in meaningful work by giving them specific roles on a team, the Body of Christ. The win for us is centered around becoming a team, unified with the common goal of Jesus Christ. The team consists of apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, teachers, and the like. Each of us should identify first what our role is on the team. Next, it is crucial to play our role to the best of our ability on a team. All men will need another guy to pick him up at times, and that is winning teams do.

DO THIS TODAY: Join a group of men committed to growing spiritually.