God purpose of Salvation for the Lost in the world today will be worked out through His Church. God has given His people a purpose to preach His Gospel, make disciples ……. Mark 16:15
It is God desire that His Church/Body be alive and well in the world today. A Body made up of many parts with each part fulfilling its God ordained potential. For His Body/Church to fulfil its role God has said to His Church “you do not lack any spiritual gift…” 1Cor 1:7
Lk 9:1 “Jesus gave them power ………” Act 1:8 “you will receive power……..” Of ourselves we are powerless, without Him we are powerless. We are people of a powerful God who has planned that His power should flow through us.
I want to finish speaking about What the Households Holds by talking about People of God in Partnership with God, with His Leaders and with each other.
Partnership is key, because the blessing of our Purpose / Goals in God being fulfilled, the blessing of reaching and fulfilling our God given potential and blessing of God’s power flowing through us is a result of where God commands the blessing. God commands the blessing when His people dwell together in unity. Ps 133
God blesses HOUSEHOLDS, Genesis 39:5 From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.
2 Samuel 6:11 The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the LORD blessed him and his entire household.
Often their was a key individual who was the gateway for the blessing of God to flow to the whole household, Joseph, Obed-Edom, the Jailor Acts 16,
Our Households have individuals who are the gateway for the blessing of God. Ideally the husband should be the spiritual head of the household. Unfortunately Headship has been turned into being the BOSS and DICTATOR, that concept of headship is from Hell and has resulted in Domestic Abuse. Male body parts do not make a person the spiritual head of the household, if the husband is not saved then the wife is the spiritual gateway to bringing the sanctification and blessing of God to that Household. If the Husband who is saved is not fulfilling his God ordained role as the spiritual head of his household, which means being the instrument of God’s blessing to his household, then God is going to use his wife or even his children to the gateway to the blessing of God. BUT how much greater would it be if the husband, wife and children were all gateways to the Blessing of God flowing into the House.
Here in the ECC Household you can be a gateway for the blessing of God to flow, by dwelling together in untied partnership with others.
To be people in partnership requires three things, a Contract, an Agreement and Commitment.
Contractual Calling
Our Contact of Partnership began the moment we respond to the Call of God to Follow Jesus, Mark 1:17 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." This Contact was sealed when the Holy Spirit came into our heart. Ephesians 1:13 And you also were included in
Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.
Don’t take lightly or for granted what it means to follow Jesus to have the seal of the Holy Spirit over your life, this is an awesome responsibility, Philippians 2:12….. continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,
There is POWER in AGREEMENT yet so many churches are build upon disagreement.
1. Partnership is Agreement with God; “I Believe” John 9:38 Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him. John 11:27 "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."
Some thing we don’t hear very often;
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell. [See Calvin]
The third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen. Apostle’s Creed
Power of agreement with God begins with you confessing “I BELIEVE” God saves,.. heals, .. delivers, ….is coming again, ….answers prayer, ….is here, ….provides, ….protects.
2. Partnership is Agreement with Leaders; Being prepared to trust and follow those whom God has put in places of leadership in His Church leads to blessing. 1 Corinthians 11 1Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
Don’t listen for what you don’t agree with, never agree on everything, but we must agree there is no one greater to follow than Jesus.
3. Partnership is Agreement with Each other; Matthew 18:19 "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven
When we disagree we are called to resolve our disagreement. 1 Corinthians 1:10 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. Philippians 4:2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord.
Impossible for us to agree on every matter, some like hot some like cold, however we must agree on foundational truth, “I BELIEVE” we must also agree on the leadership’s vision.
Commitment is the Key
Being called and agreeing does not make the partnership work. We can can’t have secret or sleeping partners in the building the Church. Engagement, Connection and Commitment are what makes Partnership work.
1. Partnership is Commitment to God; Psalm 86:2 Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you. God’ wants 100% of you. He must be Lord of all or he is not your Lord at all. Give God the 50% that is still in love with the old life style, the 25% that is still lusting, the 10% that is still holding on to un-forgiveness.
2. Partnership is Commitment to Leaders; Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
There is real danger that people follow the charismatic and gifted leader rather than the leader who is following Jesus, only commit to leaders who are committed to following Jesus.
I don’t want blind mindless followers, nor do I want critical fault finding bystander, I want people with a heart for God following a person with a heart after God.
3. Partnership is Commitment to Each other; Romans 12:10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. This is where we do practical love, forgiveness, reconciliation, we do future and not history with people.
Agreement, Commitment makes you a Gateway to the Blessing of God in ECC Household.
