Holy Partnership
Samuel Kumar
How does God use us? It has been said that God
gives a dream. Then He gives a scheme. Then He gives a team.
We are called to a vertical and horizontal partnership. On
the vertical plane, we are "laborers together with God." (1 Cor. 3:9) On
the horizontal level, we have a partnership with fellow believers. The
apostle Paul speaks of his partnership with Apollos as a case of one planting
and the other watering but the ultimate harvest and reward
coming from God. (1 Cor. 3:5-8)
In Luke 10:1 we read, "After these things the Lord appointed other
seventy also and sent them two and two before His face into every city and
place, whither He Himself would come." The Lord could have sent the 70
men individually but He sent them two and two, in 35 pairs.
The Lord sent two disciples to fetch a donkey. He sent
two to prepare the Last Supper. There were two disciples (Peter
and John) who thundered before the Jewish leaders, "Neither is there
salvation in any other name." (Acts 4:12) When two disciples in
prison (Paul and Silas) sang praises, the chains fell off and the
prison doors flung open. (Acts 16) Why did the Lord Jesus send His
disciples in groups? Because He placed a high premium on partnership. We
are told, "Two are better than one. A threefold cord is not quickly broken."
(Eccl. 4:9-12) What benefits do we derive from a spiritual
partnership?
Encouragement: It is very easy to
get discouraged in the service of the Lord, because we often do not see
immediate results. The enemy uses discouragement to render us
ineffective. We need to encourage each other in the Lord. We are told
that "David encouraged himself in the Lord his God." (1 Sam. 30:6) We
need to lift up each other and remind each other that we often sow with
tears bearing precious seed but will reap in joy bringing in the sheaves. (Ps.
126:5,6)
Prayer: We need to pray with and
for each other. When the disciples in the face of dire threats from the Jewish
leaders banded themselves to pray, the place where they assembled shook and
they were filled with the Spirit receiving a fresh infusion of boldness and
power. (Acts 4:31) If we pray as partners we will shake any place
to its foundations and there will be a mighty power released from heaven.
We are promised, "If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that
they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father Which is in
heaven." (Matt. 18:19)
Counsel: Partners engaged in the Lord's service have an
opportunity and need to counsel each other. We need to tap each other's wisdom
and gifts. In Proverbs 27:17, we read, "Iron sharpeneth iron, so a man
sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." Being humble and willing to listen to
counsel and being accountable to each other will bless any godly venture of
partnership.
Unity: Satan will try to bring
discord to weaken spiritual partnerships. We ought to be on guard.
We should always be "endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the
bond of peace." (Eph. 4:3) Two women in the Philippian church were
at odds with each other. Paul urged them to patch up their differences and
to be "of the same mind in the Lord." (Phil. 4:2,3) These women, Euodias and
Syntyche, had previously labored with Paul in the gospel. Later strife
crept in. Someone said that Euodias was probably getting odious
and Syntyche touchy! Beware of
disharmony.
God has called us to a holy partnership with Him and with fellow
believers. Let us guard and enrich this partnership in the wonderful enterprise
of serving Him.
