If then you regard me as a partner, accept him as you would me. - Philemon 1:17
A significant portion of my ministry has been spent serving efforts to see greater and greater progress in the fulfillment of the Great Commission. This has led me (and many others) to understand that there will be a greater urgency to pursue the unity within the church that Jesus spoke of in John 17. To quote an old Navy illustration, obedience to the Great Commission demands an "all hands on deck" approach.
Global collaboration between Christ's children, churches, and mission organizations is not only a good practice, it is a biblical requirement, and while some partnerships come easier due to pre-existing relationships, anyone currently living and serving in fellowship with our Savior should be considered a potential candidate.
Though Paul wrote the words above concerning the relationship between Philemon and his escaped servant (Onesimus), we can easily hear these same words coming from the lips of our Savior. If we are truly in partnership with Jesus, how can we not be in partnership with His Body? To finish His task, we must join hands and hearts, but first we must accept one another as we have already been accepted by Christ.
Our love to God is measured by our everyday fellowship with others and the love it displays. - Andrew Murray
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