Partnership

 FELLOWSHIP - κοινωνία

koinōnia

koy-nohn-ee'-ah

From G2844; partnership, that is, (literally) participation, or (social) intercourse, or (pecuniary) benefaction: - (to) communicate (-ation), communion, (contri-), distribution, fellowship.

 

I got a big surprise early one Saturday morning, soon after we had moved to Oklahoma in 2006, when I was in attendance at the customary, before-the-store-opened-for-the-day employee meeting at the new Home Depot I was working at.  After giving us the store’s sales numbers for the previous day, the Assistant Manager suddenly pointed to me and began to explain how that the store that I had recently transferred from, in Windsor California, had surpassed their quarterly targets.  And he then proceeded to hand me a nice, totally unexpected bonus check!

As it turns out… and, using me as an example, the manager explained the program that morning to the crew in attendance… he told of how Home Depot had an employee incentive plan where the employees can earn a bonus when their stores surpass their quarterly targets.  And a few years later, when I moved up into supervision, I also learned that management gets an even larger bonus and that the percentage increases as one progresses up the ladder!

To me, that example demonstrates the BENEFITS that comes to people when they partner up with others and work together, using all the tools available, for the common good of the entity that they have become an active and responsible member of!  I am also happy to report that following that meeting, our store in south Tulsa proceeded to meet and exceed our targets for just about every quarter during the next three years that I worked there!  It actually became fun and helped to a developed a strong comradery along with a bit of ADVENTURE as the team stepped up and together sought to beat those numbers!

Paul discusses a similar aspect of this type of PARTNERSHIP when he spoke of our spiritual adventure or FELLOWSHIP with Christ in I Corinthians 1:9 when he stated:

“God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure (or fellowship), shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that.” *

He is simply saying that God, who got us started and/or called us into this level of FELLOWSHIP with His Son Jesus, wants us to continually share in the benefits of our PARTNERSHIP with Him.  Once again, it is similar to how a husband and wife are to share the benefits… including the growth that comes through the successful navigation of both the good times as well as the difficult ones in their marriage.

I realized the other night, as I was watching a commercial about a mountain resort in the Rockies, that the very conceptualization of the way I think is still deeply embedded with Piper, who was my PARTNER and CO-BENEFICIARY for 48 years of my life… even though she’s been gone for almost four years now!  When you share everything in life with one very special individual for a prolonged period of time… it is hard not to live at that level of commitment and oneness with each other.

I believe that is the identical kind and/or level of PARTNERSHIP or FELLOWSHIP that we, as Christians, should enjoy with Jesus on a daily basis.  Would you agree?

And as we get to know more and more of each other… through time spent together in His Word, at church, in prayer (ie; simple two-way communication with Him) and in fellowship with other Believers, we will continue to enjoy the benefits of such a close and intimate relationship and/or PARTNERSHIP… that includes ALL the benefits that He has for us that are outlined within the pages of our Bibles!

And you know… I will freely admit that God’s benefits are FAR GREATER, much MORE OFTEN GIVEN and received and LAST MUCH LONGER that the occasional bonus checks that we got back at Home Depot! (mind-you… I am NOT complaining about those checks though!)

What do you think about all that?  Is that the level and depth of PARTNERSHIP you enjoy with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords?  It can be…

Have a wonderful weekend, and as you do… Keep EXPECTING God’s BENEFITS from the ever-increasing FELLOWSHIP you enjoy with Him!

*The Passion Translation (KJV)