Flying in Formation - Pastor Stacey Shiflett

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Flying In Formation

Philippians 1:27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

Intro: All week, the Blue Angels have been flying over my house. The Blue Angels are the U.S. Navy's premier flight demonstration squadron. Formed in 1946, they are the second-oldest formal military aerobatic team in the world. Their mission is to showcase the precision, professionalism, and excellence of the United States Navy and Marine Corps while inspiring patriotism and recruiting future service members.

The team consists of six demonstration pilots flying high-performance Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornets in incredibly tight formations; sometimes separated by only 18 inches while traveling at speeds exceeding 400 miles per hour. Every maneuver requires complete discipline, trust, communication, and unity. Pilots spend countless hours training, briefing, and debriefing so that each member knows his role and executes it flawlessly. Their success is not the result of individual talent alone, but of six highly skilled pilots functioning as one coordinated team.

I. The Beauty of Flying in Formation

·       Psalms 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

·       Philippians 1:27 "...that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel."

The word STRIVING TOGETHER literally means:

• to contend together

• to work as teammates

• to strive side-by-side toward one objective

It is fascinating to watch a group of people working together.

The World Cup is going on right now.

·        Watching a group of soccer players work together to get the ball down the field and score.

·        Watching a group of soldiers in a military parade – all in step – marching together as one.

·        An offensive line in football perform a play to perfection.

·        A group of infielders in baseball turn a double play or triple play.

·        Any team of athletes working together to win.

We get a glimpse of just how God intended for the church to operate in the book of Acts.

·       Acts 1:14 "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren."

·       Acts 2:46 "And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,"

·       Acts 4:24 "And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:"

·       Acts 5:12 "And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch."

A church that is flying in formation is a rare thing to behold, but it is beautiful!

A group of people from every possible background, working together is a joy to behold!

II. The Battles of Flying in Formation

There are several battles we have to fight to maintain formation.

I asked the internet what pilots that fly in formation have to fight in order to be successful.

The answers were astounding.

I’ll give them to you just it gave it to me, in the same order.

A. Pride

A pilot cannot insist on flying his own way.

In formation flying, there are several key rules.

Nobody tries to outshine the leader.

Nobody tries to become the center of attention.

Every pilot accepts his assigned position.

·        Philippians 2:3 "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory..."

Pride destroys formation.

B. Independence

Every pilot has the ability to fly anywhere he chooses.

But in formation personal freedom is voluntarily surrendered.

To stay in formation, individual preferences must yield to the mission.

The church loses effectiveness when everyone wants to "do their own thing."

·        Philippians 2:21 For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.

·        1 Peter 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

Notice in our text, Philippians 2:

·        2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

·        3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

·        4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

C. Distractions

Formation pilots cannot afford to be distracted.

They must ignore:

• crowds – they have a lot of people watching, taking pictures, waving, etc.

• scenery – the breathtaking scenery that they are flying over could easily distract them

• applause – the people watching them are so impressed at their ability…

One wrong turn of the head; one small diversion of the eyes could be catastrophic.

Their attention has to stay where it belongs.

Lack of focus and failure to pay attention can end in disaster.

·        Hebrews 12:2 "Looking unto Jesus..."

One distracted pilot endangers everyone.

Proverbs 4

·        25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.

·        26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.

Jesus warned the disciples…

·        Mark 14:38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.

D. Lack of Trust

Formation flying requires enormous trust.

Each pilot must have a solid trust in:

• the leader

• the briefing

• the other pilots

• their training

Without trust, everyone begins making independent corrections, and the formation falls apart.

Likewise, Christians must trust God's leadership and one another.

·        2 Corinthians 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

E. Fear

Formation flying can be intimidating.

Blue Angels often fly only a few feet apart at hundreds of miles per hour.

Fear causes:

• hesitation

• overcorrection

• second-guessing

Fear produces hesitation, second-guessing, mistakes, disaster.

Faith produces confidence and unity.

·        2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

F. Overcorrection

One of the greatest dangers is overreacting to a small error.

If a pilot notices he's drifting, he cannot jerk the controls.

He makes tiny, almost imperceptible corrections.

Christians often overreact to:

• criticism

• conflict

• discouragement

• change

Wisdom makes measured adjustments.

Patience and discernment are vital to flying in formation.

G. Failure to Communicate

Every maneuver is briefed beforehand.

Nothing is left to chance.

The pilots are in constant communication with the leader.

The church suffers when assumptions replace communication.

When people stop talking, apologizing, speaking the same thing.

·        1 Corinthians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

ILLUSTRATION: The Tower of Babel was an epic failure because of one simple problem – a communication breakdown.

H. Refusing Correction

Every flight ends with a debrief.

Every mistake is discussed.

Every aspect of the mission is carefully rehearsed.

Any problems are addressed in order to prevent them from happening again.

Good pilots welcome correction because safety and excellence matter more than pride.

·        Proverbs 12:1 "...he that hateth reproof is brutish."

2 Timothy 3

·        16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

·        17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

III. The Blessings of Flying in Formation

Jesus said it best: Mark 3:25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

Paul’s warnings to the church of Corinth was clear – division brings problems; unity brings blessings.

Ecclesiastes 4

·        9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.

·        10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.

·        11 Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?

·        12 And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

A church full of people flying in formation is going to experience more success than we can imagine.

Most churches are full of division, strife, schisms, splits and factions.

A church that surrenders their will to God’s will and submits one to another will accomplish amazing things.

Conclusion: One former Blue Angels pilot summarized formation flying this way:"Formation flying is not six airplanes flying individually. It is six pilots thinking as one."

Former Blue Angels pilots often explain that the wingman is not watching the horizon—he is watching the lead aircraft.

At times he is so focused on the lead that he uses the lead aircraft as his primary visual reference rather than looking far ahead.

·        If the wingman begins watching another airplane...

·        If he begins watching the crowd...

·        If he begins watching the smoke...

·        If he begins watching himself...

He will eventually drift out of position.

The Christian's focus isn't other Christians or himself – it should be on Jesus Christ.