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NEWS &
EVENTS |
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FEATURES |
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PARTNERSHIP
WITH GOD
- Kranthi Kumar Medida |
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 INTRODUCTION
Partnership implies that there are two
individuals or groups involved in a work. We are now
going to meditate upon a glorious partnership between
God and His disciples in the wok of salvation by trying
to answer the following seven questions:
1. What is the work in which partnership is made?
2. Whose work is it?
3. Why is human partnership needed?
4. Who can be in this partnership with God?
5. What is the nature of this partnership?
6. What are the challenges facing this partnership?
7. What is the reward for this partnership?
1. What is the work in which partnership is made?
We find two words – God’s field, God’s building – in
1Corinthians3:9. Here the apostle Paul is comparing the
work of God with cultivating a field and constructing a
building. Both the field and the building refer to the
same work. Although the work is compared to plants and
buildings, it really involves people. God and His
partners or co-workers are not working on some immovable
or non-living things, which do not have spirit. They are
working on people. They are working on human beings
having real souls. This is the work of saving the
perishing souls. This is the work of building up the
church, the Kingdom of God. I believe that this work can
be classified into two categories. One is the work done
outside the church to bring the perishing souls into
eternal salvation and consequently into the church. The
other is the work done inside the church to build it up
and to bring every believer in it to mature to the level
of Christ. I believe that these are the two important
works in which God and His disciples are in partnership.
2. Whose work is it?
The simple, short, and direct answer to this question is
that it is the work of God. But this answer has a
profound influence upon those who are partnering with
God in this work. It was God who intended to do this
work. It was God who pre-planned in His mind to do this
work. It was God who designed and initiated this work.
It is God who is going to enjoy the fruit of this work.
It is God who will be receiving all the glory when this
work is completely accomplished. God’s servants should
always keep in mind that it is God’s work and that they
are only partnering with God. There are two ways in
which a God’s servant may go wrong if he forgets this
truth. One is that he may lose respect and fear for the
work. But this work should be done with all our heart,
mind, and strength. No work should be more important for
a God’s servant than this work because it is God’s work.
There is another way in which a God’s servant may go
wrong. He may be too anxious about the work. He may
become restless and uneasy if he does not see results.
We are partnering with God in His work. It is not God
who is partnering with us in our work. Some God’s
servants behave and work as if it is God who is
partnering with them in their work. This is wrong. There
should be no anxiety or restlessness in the work of God.
Our responsibility is just to do our part and wait
before the Lord for the results. Results will surely
come because it is God’s work and God’s responsibility.
3. Why is human partnership needed?
Anyone who intends to partner with God has to have the
answer to this question. We have already seen that God’s
work can be classified into two categories. One is
outside the Church and the other is inside the Church.
If God wants to give salvation to a person can’t He come
directly to that person and proclaim the Gospel to him
so that he could be saved? Why should a God’s servant
preach the Gospel? Or, can’t God appear to a person who
is already saved and teach him and encourage him so that
he could be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ?
Why should a pastor or a teacher or a prophet do this
work instead of or on behalf of God? Wouldn’t it be
better that God directly come and do this work so that
everyone will be saved? Or, is God unable to do this
without some partners? Why is God inviting disciples to
join Him in partnership in this great work? If you are
already a partner of God or intending to enter into
partnership with God in His work, you must know answers
to these questions. God can come directly and preach the
gospel to a perishing person, but He is not inclined to
do so. Jesus said in John20:29 – “Blessed are those who
have not seen and yet have come to believe.” This is one
of the blessings that God intends to give to all those
who believe in Him. So a God’s servant should never
think that God cannot do this work without him. It is
only out of love for us that God has partnered with us.
It is not God’s inability but it is His love. Also, if
God alone does the work, then we can forget about
receiving a reward in heaven for our labours. Again,
here we see the love of God for us. God, even though He
can accomplish the work alone, partnered with us so that
He may find something in us to reward us. This is God’s
love and not His inability. There will come a time when
the church as a whole will gaze at the face of Jesus.
Until then it is very rare that Jesus directly appears
to someone. So, even though it is Jesus being invisible
who does the work, the visible persons in the work are
those who are co-workers or partners with Him.
4. Who can be in this partnership with God?
Not all can be in partnership with God in His work.
Without any doubt and further discussion we can exclude
all those who are not born again. But our concern here
is to know who among the born-again persons can be in
partnership with God. Everyone among the born-again
believers has this potential. But only a few believers
can become partners with God. This is because not all
believers are disciples. Only disciples are called by
God to partner with Him. All disciples are believers,
but not all believers are disciples. According to the
scripture portion in Luke14:25-33, there are seven
things a disciple does: 1. He comes to Jesus (v26), 2.
He hates his blood relatives including himself (v26), 3.
He carries the cross (v27), 4. He follows Jesus (v27),
5. He builds (v28), 6. He wages war (v31) and 7. He
gives up all His possessions (v33). It will be a
different message all together to explain this passage
and the seven qualities of a true disciple in it. Due to
space constraint I am just mentioning without
furtherexplanation. Not all believers can do these seven
things. It requires great sacrifice, passion,
commitment, discipline, love, humility, patience,
perseverance and hard work to do these things. This kind
of attitude is required if we want to take part in the
work that God is doing. God will appoint such persons as
His co-workers.
5. What is the nature of this partnership?
5.1. Partnership in the ratio of 100:0
To understand the nature of any partnership, first we
have to understand the nature of the business involved.
In some businesses, both partners invest equally. It is
a 50-50 partnership. In some businesses, one partner
invests more and the other less. It may be 60-40, or
90-10 or something like that. Have you ever seen or
known a partnership business in which one partner
invests 100 percent and the other partner invests
nothing? Talking in worldly terms, this cannot be termed
as partnership business. But this is exactly the kind of
partnership we are in with God. God is in the business
of earning human souls for Himself. God made all the
investment in this business. This investment is nothing
but the person and work of Jesus Christ. This is
complete investment. This is hundred percent investment.
There is no need for any other human or angelic
investment. But still God prefers to give us the status
of His partners or co-workers rather than His employees.
Again, here we see the fatherly love of God. No father
treats his child as his employee even though it is he
who has invested everything. But every father calls his
son as his co-worker or partner. It is the ‘Father Heart
of God’, which enables us to be in ‘Partnership with
God’! We should be thankful and humble towards God for
this.
5.2. Partnership with God means partnership with Holy
Spirit
Considering John15:26-27 and Acts5:32, we can conclude
that it is the Holy Spirit with whom we have to be in
partnership in the work of God. The life of a co-worker
of God is filled with the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
There are many so-called ‘co-workers’ of God who does
not even think about the Holy Spirit. But in Acts5:32,
we see that Peter is so sensitive to the fact that he is
not alone in the work of testifying to Jesus, but that
the Holy Spirit is also involved in this. Many of
today’s so-called ‘co-workers’ have either never had
this sensitivity to the Holy Spirit or lost it. It is
good here to recall the benediction of the apostle Paul
in 2Corinthians13:13 – “The grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy
Spirit be with all of you.” Why did Paul write this? Is
it for the purpose of reciting this benediction at the
end of every meeting? No. He wrote it for the purpose of
experiencing it. Our communion or fellowship here on
earth right now is with the Holy Spirit.
Grace is from Jesus. Love is from God. But communion is
with the Holy Spirit. Yet, today’s co-workers rarely
have fellowship with Holy Spirit. They never talk to the
Holy Spirit. Their behaviour is as if there exists no
such person as Holy Spirit. But still they call
themselves partners and co-workers of God. It is
impossible to continue in partnership with God without
continuing in fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
5.3. God is the real worker in this partnership
In 1Corinthians:6-7, apostle Paul says, “I planted,
Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the
one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but
only God who gives the growth.” Here Paul is saying that
our work as co-workers with God is useless unless God
works. We preach, evangelize, sing, pray, teach,
prophesy, operate the gifts of the Holy Spirit and do
many more things. All these things are like planting and
watering. But it is God who gives the growth. It is
possible that a seed may not germinate or a plant may
not grow big even after planting and watering. Our
partnership with God is the same. Our work will remain
useless until God works. Holy Spirit is the real,
invisible worker, the changer of hearts. We are mere
useless slaves. Let all glory be to God alone.
6. What are the challenges facing this partnership?
6.1. Challenge of the self
When God begins to bless our ministry, when souls are
saved, when hearts are touched, when lives are changed,
when spirits are strengthened and encouraged, when
signs, wonders, miracles and healings take place, it is
natural to our human nature that pride enters into us.
Pride can enter easily into a co-worker of God, and it
is very dangerous resulting in the loss of partnership
with God. There will also be the danger of
discouragement, exhaustion and all kinds of troubles. We
have to overcome all these and continue in partnership
with God.
6.2. Challenge of the false co-workers
Paul faced this challenge. Throughout the church history
this has been a challenge to the real co-workers of God.
False co-workers try to spoil the work of God. They
deceive the co-workers of God. They try to insult and
blame them. This peril has to be kept in mind while we
partner with God in His work. We have to overcome by
faith and patience, by the blood of the lamb and by the
Holy Spirit through prayer.
6.3. Challenge posed by the work itself
The work of a co-worker of God involves a lot of dealing
with people. The work is vast, hard, and complicated.
There are many kinds of people. There are people with
different levels of spiritual maturity. We should
possess wisdom, patience and motivation from God to
continue this work.
6.4. Challenge posed by the false work
I Corinthians 3:14-15 says – “If what has been built on
the foundation survives, the builder will receive
reward. If the work is burned up, the builder will
suffer loss.” By this, we can understand that we can
work all our lives not knowing that it was done without
partnering with the Holy Spirit. If we work in
accordance to the leading of the Holy Spirit through the
Word of God, our work will stand. Otherwise it will be
destroyed.
7. What is the reward for this partnership?
1 Corinthians 3:8 says – “The one who plants and the one
who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive
according to the labor of each.” Elsewhere Paul says
that his joy, glory, and crown are those among whom he
worked. Every co-worker with God will receive reward.
Everyone who partnered with God in His work will be
proud of the persons for whom they worked. Everlasting
joy and glory will be theirs. Amen
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This page
is updated on Sep 08, 2009 |
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PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
10 YEARS CELEBRATION
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