The old English word – “fellowship” is the same word that is often used today for “partnership”. The use of these two words do sometimes overlaps with one another. They are both very close in meaning.
And as a born again Christian, it is important to understand the scriptural usages of these two words. It helps in being more effective in working miracles, signs and wonders with the anointing of Christ for the ministry.
The two words “fellowship” and “partnership” are different in their meanings, when compared with the word “networking”. Many have often substituted partnership with networking. But networking can never accomplish what partnership does.
Faith in the partnership with Christ does the works
As the people of God we are not trying to do things in our Father’s Kingdom. Our faith in the Anointing of Jesus does not try to do anything for us. Our faith actually does the work of the Kingdom for us, as we apply it to our partnership with the Anointing of Jesus.
Apostle Paul once asked the Galatians:
“So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?”
Galatians 3:5 NIV
The works of the law cannot manifest the works of the Holy Spirit in miracles, signs and wonders. But by putting your faith in the partnership with the Anointing of Christ Jesus, you are able to become a doer of the works of the Lord. Our faith in partnership with the Anointing of Jesus works. It does the works which networking can’t ever accomplish.
In this way Bible Believing Christians are doers of the word of God. We are not trying to get people saved, healed or delivered.
The unsaved world has that type of mentality towards the works of God’s Kingdom. But these things are actually what we do. It is the reason why we are called Christians, because we are in partnership with the Anointing of Jesus as we are following Him.
A good example of this worldly way of thinking, can be seen in the reaction of King Agrippa to the testimony of Paul before him.
He had asked Paul:
“.. Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?”
Acts 26:28 NIV
Agrippa saw the defense of Paul before him as an attempt to get him saved. But that was not what Paul was doing. Paul was working in partnership with the anointing over his life for the salvation of all gentiles. That’s why he responded to the King that:
“.. Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”
Acts 26:29 NIV
In other words Paul was telling the King the exact thing he was doing. He was not trying to get Agrippa saved. Paul believed that Agrippa would be saved in the short or long time. This is the attitude that all believers need to have always whenever we proclaim the gospel. We are soul winners (Proverbs 11:30)! We are not trying to win souls.
Partnership in the ministry of Jesus
When Jesus gave the Great Commission to every believer, He said:
“.. Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
Mark 16:15-18 NIV
Nowhere in these words of Jesus did He ever suggest that, the believers will try or attempt to do anything with their anointing. Jesus said it here emphatically that those who are in partnership with His Anointing “will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
Bible believing Christians are doers of God’s word. We are not trying to do what God’s word says. We are actually doing it! The anointing of God over your life produces results, as it brings to pass whatever God has called you to do. Your anointing works always, whenever you loose your faith in partnership with Jesus into it.
This was what it did to the disciples. The scripture says:
“Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.”
Mark 16:20 NIV
The Lord worked with them as they released their faith into the partnership, with the anointing for signs and wonders. The disciples literally acted in obedience to the words of Jesus, in order to see miracles, signs and wonders as they preached the gospel.
They never tried to preach the gospel. They actually preached the gospel boldly. If they had tried to do what Jesus commanded them to do; the enemy would had used fear to cripple their faith. And that’s exactly what the Devil does today with the Christians, who are trying to get things done in God’s Kingdom. He uses doubt and fear to cripple their faith in the anointing; thereby rendering their partnership with Christ ineffective for miracles to take place, as they preach the good news of salvation.
The early disciples went everywhere doing what the Lord commanded them to do. And the scripture shows clearly here that the Lord, Who gave them the command confirmed their acts of obedience with miracles, signs and wonders.
Their partnership by faith with the Anointing of Jesus, as they acted in obedience to His command, gave them great results wherever they preached the Word.
The early disciples were in partnership with Jesus
When Jesus in Luke 9:1-6 sent out the twelve Apostles to preach everywhere; and later on in Luke 10:1-24 He sent out the seventy two disciples. They were sent out to preach the gospel with accompanying signs and wonders. They went out to do what they had seen Jesus do.
And by being sent out by Jesus, they went on the basis of their partnership, with the very same Anointing upon His life. That’s how partnership works. The very same things that Jesus did became possible for them in that partnership.
You can draw from the anointing over the life of the person that you are in partnership with. It will double your own anointing in bringing increases, into what you had been called by God to do.
When you do that, you are actually walking in the shoes of that person with whom you are in partnership. In this way your anointing is doing the same things, that the anointing does through that person. You are bringing in the same types of harvests, that the anointing is manifesting in that person, but in multiple folds. That’s how powerful your partnership can be.
The groups of twelve and seventy two that Jesus sent out, were in reality partnering with the Anointed One and His Anointing; for greater results in what He was doing as they went. All of them went out together in partnership with Jesus. They acted in obedience to His command. And their faith yielded the expected results in that partnership.
When you are walking in total and complete obedience to the letters of a partnership, you will see results. You will receive great increases upon your anointing. But when you are walking in disobedience towards the partnership, you will reap chaos, divisions, disharmony and disorderliness in everything you are touching.
None of the disciples of Jesus had a separate agenda apart from the one given to them by Jesus. They knew that the Anointing only flows, as they remained loyal to the partnership. They all came with diverse background experiences; but they were in harmony with one another, for the Anointing upon Jesus to flow through them as they went (see Psalm 133 NIV).
A partnership will bear no fruit if any of the party in the partnership has a hidden agenda. It’s the same thing with any Church congregation. No Church will ever increase and multiply, if the members are working contrary to the vision of the leadership of that Church. If there is no viable partnership between the leadership of any Church and the members, there will be no spiritual growth within it. They will not be able to grow into the fullness of maturity in Christ Jesus, which God has designed for them.
It was because of the clarity of purpose in the partnership with Jesus, that the two groups sent out by Him were able to accomplish much.
When Christians are trying to do anything for the Kingdom of God, without partnering with the Anointing of Jesus, not a lot ever gets accomplished. The absence of their partnership with the anointing of Jesus Christ, is what makes them no different with results, from the social organizations of the secular world.
Harmony is very important for any partnership to be fruitful. The partnership is unproductive without harmony. Harmony enables the Anointing to flow in bringing salvation, healing, deliverances and prosperity; even when all the parties in the partnership are not compatible with one another. Harmony eliminates what is lacking in any member of the partnership. It supplies the needs of the other members, who are lagging behind in the partnership.
The synergy in partnership
Fellowshipping does indicates a different form of partnership among Christians, with the Anointing of Jesus. It brings Christians together for the purpose of saving souls. That’s the primary purpose of the Christian fellowship.
We don’t fellowship to socialize. We fellowship for the sole purpose of saving souls, healing the sick, setting the captives free and prospering the Kingdom of God on the earth. Christians do fellowship together with the anointing of Jesus, in the breaking of bread (that is the Word of God) and prayer.
As the groups of twelve and seventy two went in obedience to Jesus, they were all working together in the synergy, that the anointing of Christ made available to them. This is how the body of Christ is designed to function.
As Apostle Paul said:
“For because of Him the whole body (the church, in all its various parts), closely joined and firmly knit together by the joints and ligaments with which it is supplied, when each part [with power adapted to its need] is working properly [in all its functions], grows to full maturity, building itself up in love.”
Ephesians 4:16 AMPC
Partnership with the Anointing of Jesus enables us to work together for the purpose of doing the works of the Kingdom. Each member in the partnership supplies what is lacking in the others. This is how a healthy Church functions.
The Greek word for partnership here is “synetairismos“. It is the very word from where the root for the English word “synergy” comes. When you are involved in a partnership, you are not in it to look out for yourself. You are in it to benefit what the Anointed One (Christ) is doing with His anointing in those other partners. Your partnership with them brings a synergy into the way, that the anointing of Christ Jesus flows among them.
The anointing of Christ works better in you, when you are in partnership with what the Anointed One (Christ) is doing in others. The anointing oil flows better in your life, when you partner with it to bring synergies through it to the body of Christ.
That’s how the needs of every member of the body of Christ are supplied. You can’t do what God has called you to do by yourself, even though God has called you alone.
Jesus was on a One man mission to save the world. But He needed partnership with His Anointing in fulfilling the mission. That was why He appointed twelve of His disciples as Apostles. They were the core partners with His Anointing. Their partnership with the Anointing of Jesus, continued the works of God’s Kingdom after His ascension to the heavens.
At Bible Vision International Ministries we are in partnership with the anointing, of several national leaders around the world, by bringing a synergy into the way that their anointing works. This is how real partnership works.
We are in these nations to partner with them, in fulfilling the call of God over their lives, with the anointing that Christ has given them. We are committed to bringing a synergy into what they are doing, in supplying the needs of Christ’s Body. That’s what God called us into the nations to do.
Jesus began by partnering with others
That was exactly what happened with Peter in Luke chapter 5:1-11. Jesus had just borrowed his boat to do the will of the Father for that moment. And the moment came for Jesus to partner back with Peter in his fishing business, just as Peter had partnered with the Anointed One and His Anointing by allowing Him to preach from his boat.
The scripture says:
“When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
Luke 5:4 NIV
The Rhema word that Peter received from the Lord here brought a synergy upon his fishing anointing. Before that time Peter had been trying to catch fish. The scripture says:
“Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
Luke 5:5 NIV
Peter had been working hard on fishing without a Rhema word for a very long time. He had all the “university degrees” and all the skills of the world to get the job done. But with all his skills he had accomplished nothing, because the Rhema word from God was not available to him.
But by acting on the Rhema word from the latest Partner in his fishing business (Jesus); it brought a synergy that he had never seen before in the fishing business. He was able to accomplish what he had never accomplished before.
The scripture continues:
“When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.”
Luke 5:6-7 NIV
Note the use of the word “partners” here. Another synergy for better effectiveness was brought into what Peter was doing, as he called on his fishing business partners after acting on the Rhema word from Jesus.
It’s important to pay particular attention to the use of the word “partners” here. It denotes “fellowshipping” also. The scripture calls these fishermen with whom Peter had fellowship – partners.
You need partnership to bring synergy into your anointing
In other words the crowds that you do fellowship with the most are your partners. They are the ones who are supposed to be bringing a synergy into what you are doing for God right now. You can’t grow beyond the level of the synergy that they are bringing to you. And if they are not bringing you the results of salvation, healing and deliverance in your calling; then they have nothing to add to your anointing.
Your willingness to acknowledge and receive from others will transform you. Be a receiver and don’t ever doubt or underestimate what they are bringing into your anointing.
Some Preachers of the gospel these days are not good receivers, of the anointing from those that the Lord has sent to them. They struggle daily to acknowledge the partnership of these believers. And at the end they miss out of the synergy available to them. They miss out of their blessings in this way. Be open minded and receive those whom God is bringing into your life and ministry. They are not coming to take away from you. They are there to partner with your anointing.
That’s why you need the Anointing of Christ for partnership with others. It will help you in partnering with them, as they partner with Jesus in whatsoever you are doing for the Lord. You can draw from the anointing of others, by partnering with them as they partner with Jesus. It brings the benefit of the synergy into your own anointing.
You need to be partnering with those who are doing, what you are called by God to do in the Ministry; but with a greater and higher anointing. That type of partnership will help you to do greater things in your life. Peter was in partnership with other fishermen. But when the opportunity showed up to get into partnership with Jesus, it changed his life completely.
That’s what partnership with those who are doing, what you do in the ministry with a greater and higher anointing does for you. You can partner with them through prayer, or by sowing financial seeds into their anointing.
It will yield for you a return of greater things in this year. You will start experiencing how that synergy works in supplying every need that you have right now. That’s what biblical partnership does.
It’s yielding greater harvests across Europe
Just last week we at Bible Vision International Ministries saw this in the city of Warsaw, Poland; where the Word of Life Church is able to be feeding one thousand homeless people on the streets daily. The Church provides clothing, accommodation and other tools to transform the lives of these people, so that they will get off the streets. They are getting saved, healed and delivered daily. Families are being restored and many young people are catching the fire of God.
This is because Visjon Norge is in partnership with the Church. The Norwegian Christian organization does the same thing across Europe. And they had brought a greater anointing into what The Word of Life Church is doing. There is a synergy which this partnership has brought into the Body of Christ at Warsaw.
We at Bible Vision International Ministries are so excited to see what this partnership is doing, as we continue to bring a new synergy into this partnership with them.
We had seen how this type of relationship has transformed many nations before. In this year the Lord has told us to expect to see greater things in the nations. And we are excited about it. The year has just started and we are looking forward for more of these. This is real partnership in action.
Our partnership across the globe is saving souls daily on the streets of Warsaw, Poland. The same thing is happening in Siberia, Kenya, Estonia, Peru and in many other nations. We get testimonies daily about what our partnership with the anointing of these great men and women, is doing in all these nations. Miracles, signs and wonders are taking place everywhere. And we are expecting much more in this year.
That’s why your partnership with us is so important. If you do believe that this is what you have been called by the Lord to do? Get on with it. You can partner with us in prayer and intercession. You can also partner by sowing seeds. You can sow seeds into our organization by clicking and following this link on our webpage. But remember that your tithe does belong to your local Church. As you do the Holy Spirit will begin to direct your steps.
Let us know more about what the Lord is doing for you through the partnership with us as you pray and give.
