Partnership

To add to what we talked about last month, I would like to study the word partnership as it is found in the Book of Philippians.  Partnership means “to possess together,” or “to be in communion with one another.”  It may also mean “common property.”  As believers in Jesus we are partners in that we are all heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus.  (“Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.”  Rom. 8:17)  When Christians celebrate the Lord’s Supper or Communion, that is an act of partnership as we are celebrating the union of our lives with Jesus.  In II Peter 1:4, we are told that we participate in the divine nature.  (“Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”) Participate is the same word in the Greek as partner.

In the Book of Philippians Paul begins by saying we are Partners in the Gospel. (“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” Phil. 1:4,5)  The evidence of their partnership was in the fact that they centered their lives and ministry on the truth of the Gospel.  Their concern was for the advancement of the Gospel, and they worked hard at confirming the Gospel by strengthening the new converts.  The Gospel message became their personal life message, meaning they identified with the Gospel as their own identity.

In Phil. 1:7 (“It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.”)  Paul says they were also Partners of his grace, meaning the grace on Paul’s life to be an apostle and a pastor was the grace he partnered with this group of believers. Grace is God’s ability to accomplish God’s will.  So this church had the ability of God, as did Paul, to see their church grow and develop and reach out, as every church should be.  Paul said, “I am what I am by the grace of God.” (I Cor. 15:10, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them – yet, not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”).  Grace brought Paul to Philippi and with their partnership the church now received that grace as their very own.

Phil. 2:1-2 talks about the Partnership of the Holy Spirit.  (“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.“)  Paul was very concerned that the church would be of the same mind with each other.  This place of unity is only possible with a daily relationship with the Holy Spirit.  When Jesus left after the resurrection He promised to send the Holy Spirit Who would live inside the believers and teach them everything they needed to know in order to be strong disciples of Christ.  When Christians are casual with the Holy Spirit they frustrate the process of bringing those same Christians into unity.  Unity is not you and I thinking like each other; it is you and I thinking like the Holy Spirit.

Then in the next chapter Paul talks about the Partnership in Suffering (Phil. 3:10-11, “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”).  Suffering is one part of you and I identifying with Christ.  As believers we sometimes suffer because Jesus suffered.  The process of developing our lives to a place of maturity will include suffering.  One part of suffering is learning to allow Jesus to be the Lord of our lives.  That is every day learning to deny ourselves and giving Jesus first place in every area of life.

Then in chapter four Paul talks about the Partnership of Giving and Receiving (Phil. 4:14-15, “Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only.”).  This church was a financial partner with Paul.  He started the church and they were grateful for all his hard work in their lives.  Out of the other four places of partnership came this place of giving to each other and supporting each other.  For partners the other person shares one person’s need. Love will always reach out in every way possible.

I am just getting to know each of you so our level of partnership is very basic.  As time goes on we can expect to have our partnership grow as our relationship grows.  I look forward to getting to know you more personally as time goes on.  As we pray for one another our love will knit our hearts together in love.

If you have questions or specific prayer requests, please be free to email us at teaching@agapeglobalmissions.org .

For the Kingdom,

Dr. Jim Burbank

International Director, AGM