It is amazing how fast spring has arrived. As I sit writing this to you, the sun is out, the farmers are out tending to the crops and others like you and I are attending to the daily routines in our lives.

As I sit and think about that, I am drawn back in my thoughts over the past two weeks, where we as a ministry had the privilege to minister at the annual Assemblies of God and Elim conferences in the United Kingdom.

Suzette ministered and through the Word of God, lives have been powerfully impacted. To me, what was more remarkable were the amount of people we met whose lives had been changed years ago by the ministry of Suzette and we see how the gifts of God have been active in blessing and ministering to others way beyond the realm of our comprehension. In all that we do, we are in partnership with the Lord and with one another, so I wanted to share these thoughts on the aspects of Partnership.

A Privileged Partnership

"I planted the seed, and Apollos watered it; but God made it grow....Whether they plant or water, they work as a team....We are God’s fellow workers."
- 1 Corinthians 3:6,8-9

This text declares a privileged partnership - a partnership with God! And in this partnership, "we are dependent on God". "God gives the increase!" However, we are in partnership and dependent on each other as well. "I planted...Apollos watered."

We hear talk about the self-made man. There is no such thing! We drink from wells we have not dug. We learn from books we have not written. We are blessed by institutions we did not build. We grow up in families we did not establish. We are always dependent on one another.

The wonderful implication of this text is that God is dependent on us. God needs us to plant and water. Whatever spiritual harvest is accomplished, it is not only produced by God alone! He not only responds to our faith and worship but also our active labour and support. There are so many areas where we are privileged to work in partnership. Let us explore a few:

1Partnership In Mission

Our mission is the commission to "be witnesses...in Jerusalem and...Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" - Acts 1:8. This mission starts at our doorstep, our Jerusalem. I believe in the destiny of God that has placed us here at this point in time - to carry out His mission in our world where we are.

The apostle Paul had this same sense of providential mission, that everything that had happened in his life - jailing, rejections, shipwrecks, diversions, salvations and healings - all were for the "furtherance of the gospel" - Philippians 1:12 as God worked in him and through him in every circumstance of life.

2Partnership In Message

All of our lives and ministries focus on one ultimate objective, the message of the gospel, the good news in Jesus Christ. Our message is unashamedly evangelistic. We proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and urge everyone to repent and make a personal commitment of their lives to Him.

3Partnership In A Method

In this privileged partnership as workers together, God has made a covenant with us and promised to bless us if we would use His method for accomplishing and carrying out the mission and ministry. We must bring our talents and abilities to God as well and put them to use in fulfilling our partnership responsibility.

What is Partnership?

Partnership is the ability to work together toward a common vision. Partners work for a common goal. Partners add their abilities and strengths together to benefit everyone. Partners give their all to support others and partners work to strengthen everyone else.

Partnership will not work with just:

A jawbone – People who merely want to talk about getting it done.

A wishbone – People who merely wish someone would do it.

A funny bone – People who never get serious about getting it done.

Partnerships must have a backbone – People who work together to get the job done.

On December 22nd 1899, the evangelist D. L. Moody lay dying. His first job had been as a shoe clerk in Boston, gathering eighteen ragged boys off the street to organise a Sunday school class. In two years the class had grown to 1,500. In his lifetime Moody was to take two continents in his hands and shake them for God. As he died, he left this thought written on the flyleaf of his Bible, "If God be your partner, make your plans big."

We at Voice in the City take your partnership with us seriously and we are very grateful for all of you who stand with us in fulfilling the mission that God has given to us.
This is why we do not only ask you to pray for us, but we invite you to let us know your needs so as we can earnestly pray for you and partner with you in what you are doing for the Lord, whether it be in your home, with your family, in a church or a ministry.
We value you and are here to serve you as well, in your harvest fields.

May the Lord bless you and keep you in ALL you do for Him.

Together for the Harvest,

Gayle Claxton
Co-Founder & Teacher