Thinking in 3’s - 1 Samuel 22:2 - Christian Team-Building

Several years ago we had talked about developing teams within the congregation, each team led by Deacons. There was discussion how to formulate these teams, and someone mentioned a lottery system, seemingly in order to be able to pick the best first. I’m really not sure if he was joking or being sarcastic. Probably not his best moment.

But what strikes me is how David assembles his “team” when he was on the run for Saul. Now granted, he may not have had a lot to choose from. And yet, it seems that at least a portion of these men stuck with David for the long haul, - and there were definitely difficult days - and they were eventually known as “David’s mighty men.” Let’s hear how they were described:

1 Samuel 22:2 Everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him; and he became captain over them. Now there were about four hundred men with him.

The perfect traits for team-building: distressed, indebted, and discontented. It might remind one of Jesus calling His motley crew of disciples. It also might remind one of the make-up of the church. These have never been exercises in cherry-picking. Or at least, it’s not supposed to be.

We had a gentleman years ago who pray for people to come to our church - a certain kind of people - people who were ready and equipped to serve. I get what he was saying. But it still doesn’t square with what I see here in 1 Samuel, or in the Gospels, or in the Epistles. Sinners come, “Just As I Am, without one plea,” and then the job of the church is to disciple - to make disciples. And so there is hard work to do. We do not start with finished products - and every mature Christian knows that he himself/she herself is no finished product.

So when these men filtered in to David’s camp, he did not say to them, “No, you can’t stay. You’re too stressed.” Or “Only those who have passed the Dave Ramsay test are allowed.” Or, “If you weren’t content in your last church, then why would we want you in this one?” He took these men, such as they were, and somehow, the character of the captain rubbed off on them over time. I do not doubt that there were rough spots; discipline issues; hard talks; perhaps even ejections. But there must have been a lot of positive things that take place.

And just to be clear, in the church, it is not the character of the pastor that is supposed to rub off. No, many people come to church not having had ample opportunity to be in the presence of Christ and His people - and it is the character of Christ that needs to be infectious.

This all requires a lot of love and patience. These are gifts to us from God. We do not have sufficient supply in and of ourselves. Let’s ask God to help us accept hurting people, and then to pray diligently for them, and work hard to help them, in God’s timing, to have less of the 3 “d’s” and more of the big “C” - Christ.