THE PARTNERSHIP THAT LEADS TO OVERFLOWING SUCCESS

By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi
Luke 5:7 "And they beckoned unto  their partners,  which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them.  And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink."
       Prior to this verse of Scripture,  Jesus had told an exasperated, overworked and disappointed  Peter who had been fishing all night to  "..... Launch  out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught."( Luke 5:4) this happened after Peter had given his boat to Jesus to use as a platform to preach the gospel of the kingdom. The scriptures teaches that a reward awaits those who give their resources for the teaching of the gospel , it is called sowing to the spirit . Gal.6: 8b says  ."..he that soweth to the Spirit shall of  the Spirit reap life everlasting." What this means is that sustainability in one's business enterprise comes from consciously investing in the spread of the gospel. Neglecting this divine ordinance is the major reason for the collapse of businesses the world over.
        Credibility is the most important ingredient in the success of any enterprise , it ensures that the cost of production and other factors of production are within the boundaries of  profitability . Corruption is the very opposite of integrity, it increases the cost of production and diminishes the quality of the product and hinders productivity in all  ramifications.  Businesses fail because of corruption and it is the effect of not consciously and intelligently investing in the spread of God's word The scriptures says in Galatians.6:8a "For he that soweth to his flesh shall  of the flesh reap corruption; "
         Haggai 1:6, 8-9 NLT says "You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes! Now go up into the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild my house. Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored, says the lord . You hoped for rich harvests, but they were poor. And when you brought your harvest home, I blew it away. Why? Because my house lies in ruins, says the lord of Heaven’s Armies, while all of you are busy building your own fine houses." Whenever we neglect investing in the spread of the gospel, money depreciates in value. The spread of the gospel destroys corruption in any given society therefore whenever teachers of the gospels are constrained by their inability to send materials free of charge, corruption prevails.
     In Luke 5: Peter's contribution to the spread of the gospel was tangible and measurable .It cost money to rent a boat from a fisherman but he gave it to Jesus free of charge and was rewarded with the catch of fish at an odd time of the day when it was most unlikely to catch fishes.  Peter understood the principle of partnership therefore he didn't go out alone,  he went with his partners. These partners were believers, they probably  made provisions for Jesus' disciples to stand in their boats while Jesus ministered the gospel and knew they also qualified for that supernatural harvest of fish.      In the time of hardship, Christians who are active partners in ministries that teach the gospel receive promotions and unusual favours because of the need to ensure that the spread of the gospel isn't hindered. They aren't afraid of the loss of their jobs because they've made God their source and He is their insurance against failure .  Friendship with a Christian who openly mocks preachers is a hindrance to the blessings of partnership ( Psalm 1: 1-3)
       God doesn't want us to live only by hard work but by favour. Hard work is an indispensable part of faith in God and development however, outside favour, putting our trust in our hard work exposes one to the fear of poverty. Overwork ,health challenges , loneliness and emotional instability are the result of depending on one's strength for sustenance. This is one of the reason for the crisis in many christian homes. Some earn less but are more fulfilled because of divine favour born out of their involvement in the spread of the gospel.
       Through this principle and hard work the poor Christians in Macedonia  broke through the yoke of poverty in to abundance (2Cor.8:1-5) .Their descendants are beneficiaries of this act of grace as it remains a tourist destination over a thousand years later .  The Philippians understood the principle of partnering with a teaching ministry and enjoyed unusual breakthroughs as a result of this. Paul likened their contributions to depositing money in a bank in Philippians 4:17 "Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may  abound to your account." the word 'account ' as used within the context of our acts of benevolence is the Greek word 'logos ' which means a computation.  This is what happens when we deposit money in the bank, computations are made that either lead to debit or credit. The same applies with investing in the gospel,  that was why the master was angry with the fellow who was given one talent in Matthew 25:27 "Thou oughtest therefore  to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I  should have received mine own with usury." Jesus acknowledged the principle of computation in our dealings on earth. God wants us out of a life of indebtedness.  This is the sure way out of it.  Peter enjoyed the highest breakthrough when he gave his boat out to Jesus and  had the highest profit to the point of being willing to follow Christ. He made so much money to cater for his family while he was on missionary duties with Christ.
           Partnering with a teaching ministry is the way to insulate oneself from the negative effect of corruption and selfishness which is behind the economic recession of nations of the earth, the scriptures says in Philippians 1:5 AMP "[I thank my God] for your fellowship (your sympathetic cooperation and contributions and partnership) in advancing the good news (the Gospel) from the first day [you heard it] until now." Philippians 1:7 AMP "It is right and appropriate for me to have this confidence and feel this way about you all, because you have me in your heart and I hold you in my heart as partakers and sharers, one and all with me, of grace (God's unmerited favor and spiritual blessing). " Our success story among other things such as diligence to duty and proficiency is partly due to our contributions to the spread of the gospel. God has no interest in preserving any job or business that isn't closely or remotely linked to the spread of the gospel.
     Prayerfully ask the lord to show you which ministry to invest in, preachers aren't exempted in this duty,  it is a principle that works for all. As you make Jesus the lord of your life and read this now, receive grace for an overwhelming harvest of joy in your finances and relationships in Jesus name.
Prayer / counseling +2348098536911, +2348035536911 Email :Michaelbensonajayi@gmail.com