“What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now the one who plants and the one who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.” (I Corinthians 5:5-9 NASB)
Whatever the specific word God sent to you at your church Sunday, you should not only remember it, but you should react to it in a really positive way, and perhaps do what I am about to do, relay a part of God’s specific message, sent via a specific messenger, specifically for a specific purpose.
Relaying a part of the message, that’s exactly what I am about to do this Tuesday morning, pass on just a serious snippet garnered from Pastor M.R. King’s powerful, meaningful word preached this past Sunday. His text included the verses above. He stressed partnering in the church. By the church, he referred to the local church and the universal church. He also stressed the need to partner in the church as servants of the Lord. Finally, he showed us, based on the text, that the members of the church must also partner with God, realizing that nothing is impossible without God. Personally, as he spoke with the perfect tone, and pure love, it struck me that while we should be thankful for whatever number we have in our churches, and while paucity or littleness does not limit God from doing great things, all members should work on growing the church through dedicated service obeying the Great Commission. He pointed out that we need to realize that when we take care of what God has entrusted us with, He will entrust us with more. One analogy he shared pointed to the fact that if we were to take care of one plant, and take care of it well, that plant would grow, and we would be blessed with other plants. Yes, I was paying attention, not because it was my son preaching, but because it was the word of God being proclaimed and explained. It was exactly what we all need to hear, and more importantly, hurry to respond to it before the enemy of the church comes and takes it away.
As I meditated on the message later Sunday afternoon, I thought about the days I worked for a well-known, worldwide company, one that embraced partnering for success. Managers at all levels were taught how to analyze or appraise where individuals were in terms of performance, and then use the appropriate level of direction and support to enhance performance and experience great success individually and corporately. The thing I liked most was about that managerial training was that we were not only trained on how to partner for success, but we were evaluated on how well we applied it as part of interim and annual performance appraisals. If you want to know more about partnering for success, look up the Blanchard Model. Yet, even if you do not do so, commit to apply the principle of partnering for success, being actively involved in your church, and in seeking God as your primary partner to realize growth of the kingdom. God expects that of each of us. Neither churches nor individual members can rest on their past success, previous accomplishments, or any plateau reached on our climb. The church is not only about worship, but it is about work. And most of us have sang the words, “I promised Him that I would serve Him until I die.” I may not be admonishing you with the tenderness and effectiveness that was used by my son, but we need to evaluate our partnering for success in the church. As a matter of fact, perhaps we would be more effective in doing what we are supposed to be doing as local churches if we were referred to as “partners” instead of “members.” Perhaps then we would increase our level of interest in the church to reach our goals, goals in line with what God expects us to achieve.
Look, you may say this was a long, lengthy meditation, but it’s not Monday. Monday Shorts are for Mondays and not Tuesdays. I pray that this meditation, inspired by Sunday’s sent message, and approved by the Sovereign One in Heaven, moves you, motivates you, makes you focus on the work of the church, and materializes and your partnering for success. God be with you! Be blessed!
“All the believers continued together in close fellowship and shared their belongings with one another. They would sell their property and possessions, and distribute the money among all, according to what each one needed. Day after day they met as a group in the Temple, and they had their meals together in their homes, eating with glad and humble hearts,praising God, and enjoying the good will of all the people. And every day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.” (Acts 2: 43-47 Good News Translation)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King