Partakers Of Grace

The Macedonians

Friend, apostle Paul, writing to the bishops, deacons, and all the saints in the Church at Philippi, said he thanks God on every remembrance of them and always prays for them for their "fellowship in the gospel." He also said, "...I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace" (Philippians 1:1-7).

Long before this, Apostle Paul had a night vision where he saw a man of Macedonia, which was the capital city of Philippi, crying and saying to him, "Come over into Macedonia and help us." Paul immediately went into Macedonia, believing that the Lord had called him to preach the gospel there (Acts 16:9-10).

When Paul went to Macedonia, a woman named Lydia, after hearing him preach, provided accommodation for his ministry team in her house, and they stayed there during their time in Macedonia. After Paul was thrown into prison and the earthquake occurred, the keeper of the prison provided accommodation for Paul and his team in his house until they were released (Acts 16:12-40).

Now, after years of successful ministry in Philippi, with many churches built, Paul writes to them and thanks God for their "fellowship in the gospel." The word fellowship here in the Greek language is actually "partnership," so he thanks God for the bishops and deacons for their partnership with him in the gospel at Philippi. Of course, we saw people like Lydia and the prison keeper who were of great help to Paul in Philippi. Apostle Paul, writing, said to them, "ye all are partakers of my grace." First, he thanked God for their partnership, and now he refers to them as partakers of grace. But what does he mean by "my grace"?

In Ephesians 3:2, Paul said, "If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given to me to you ward," and he said, "Unto me... is this grace given that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Ephesians 3:8). So when he said grace, he was referring to the purpose of God in his life towards the Philippians. Therefore, he called them partakers of his grace (the purpose of God over his life) because they took upon themselves a part in the realization of the grace (plan or purpose) of God given to him. That was why he calls them "partakers," because they had a part to play in the actualization of his grace.

No man is an island on his own, even Paul could not achieve God's plan for his life without partakers of grace. Therefore, partakers of grace are people or organizations that help us fulfil the plan and purpose of God for our lives.

The Ultimate Grace

Every believer has a purpose and plan mapped out by God for his life. Here is what Paul said: "But unto every one of us is given grace... (a plan or purpose from God)." Every believer has a specific purpose on earth, as stated in 1 Corinthians 12:18, "But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him." God has set every member of the body of Christ and given them a grace (a purpose). However, this grace was given "according to the measure of the gift of Christ" (Ephesians 4:7). That is, our individual purpose is "according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 3:11). Every purpose ordained by God for you is for the actualization of the eternal purpose of Christ. That was why John said, "Of his fullness have all we received... grace for grace," simply put, a purpose for a purpose (John 1:16). That is why we are the body of Christ. Though we may have different functions in the body, everybody is working together for a particular purpose. This is what grace for grace in John 1:16 means. I call this ultimate goal of the body of Christ the ultimate grace because in one way or the other your God-ordained purpose must meet the demands of the ultimate grace.

Look at it, John 3:16, the major reason the Lord was sent, to give life, that is his grace, that is the ultimate purpose of the body of Christ. Ephesians 2:5, "By grace (divine assignment) ye are saved." How? "For by grace are ye saved through faith..." (Ephesians 2:8). How does the plan or purpose of God save you through faith? Simple, in Romans 10:17 we know that faith comes by hearing, and in verses 14 and 15, "How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent?"

Therefore, you see that grace, which is purpose, is what brings about salvation. No one is ever saved without hearing, and preachers must receive a mandate or a purpose or a calling to preach. What I am trying to point out is that every purpose or plan of God concerning you must be a grace (purpose) that saves, either directly or indirectly. Whether you are called into business or a career, your divine assignment must result in the salvation of men. Your assignment given to you by God was for the actualization of the ultimate grace. Every grace in the kingdom is for the actualization of the great commission (Mark 16:15-18). The fact that God did not call you into ministry but into business is a pointer that your business endeavors should result in the salvation of souls.

Permit me to say it again: we have all received grace for grace. The reason why God called you into that job, into that career, or that business is for the actualization of the great commission, which is the ultimate grace. See what Paul called us in Hebrews 3:1, "partakers of the heavenly calling," and in 2 Corinthians 5:18, he said God has given us the ministry of reconciliation. Friend, I pray for you, that you will not miss the main reason why God placed you on that assignment.

Those That Go to War

There was a time in Israel when, after a great battle, King David made a decree concerning spoils won from battles. He said, "But as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff... and it was so from that day forward... an ordinance for Israel" (1 Samuel 30:24-26).

Meaning when they win in war and bring home the spoils, it would not be shared among the soldiers that fought the battle alone; it would be shared amongst every household in Israel. Good, right? But why? Are they the ones that risked their lives on the battlefield? No, but they sponsored the battle.

No soldier pays for his armor and his uniform, even the military supplies used in the war are sponsored by the people through taxes and donations. No wonder they have a part because, without them, the soldiers would have starved to death in battle. Friend, this is a picture or type of what is happening in the New Testament (Hebrews 10:1). We have the ultimate grace (purpose), which is the Great Commission. But there are those that go and there are those that stay back. Paul referred to ministers as the soldiers of Christ (2 Timothy 2:3).

Ministers of the gospel are the front-liners of the battle in the pursuit of the ultimate grace. Their grace (purpose) is directly for the pursuit of the Great Commission. But who are those that stay back? People that God called into different sectors of life, which is not ministry. Nevertheless, every grace (purpose) is for the pursuit of the ultimate grace (John 1:16).

I would like you to see the wisdom of the Lord in organizing His body to pursue the ultimate grace. After He has given every man a purpose or grace in Ephesians 4:7, some He called into business, career, workers, and others into ministry (Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:28-30). The next thing He did was to organize them in order to pursue the ultimate grace.

So, He gave gifts (Greek; doma, meaning present) unto the men that He has given a purpose. What were the gifts? He gave some apostles, some prophets, some teachers, some evangelists, and some pastors (Ephesians 4:8-12). So, amongst the men He gave grace, He took those called into ministry (soldiers) and gave them to be shepherds over others not called into ministry.

So that they (those not called to ministry), by partaking in the pursuit or grace of the minister (soldiers) over them, through that "which every joint supplieth" (Ephesians 4:12-16), will indirectly pursue the ultimate grace. Now you see why Paul called the Philippians "partakers of my grace" (Philippians 1:7). The Philippians were strong partakers of the grace or ministry of Paul, even Paul testified and said, "Ye sent once and again unto my necessity" (Philippians 4:16).

Partaking of Grace

Therefore, every believer is supposed to be a partaker of the grace of the ministers God sets over them, in order to fulfill their own purpose as partakers of the ultimate grace (Hebrews 3:1, John 1:16). There are several ways by which we can partake of the grace of the ministers set over us, in order to fulfill our mandate as partakers of the ultimate grace effectively. Here are a few ways we can do so:

• Praying for the success of a ministry and the minister is one way to partake of grace. See what Paul said to the Philippian Church, "For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer" (Philippians 1:19). Praying for souls to be saved in the church, praying for the word of God to grow and increase, and praying for the outpouring of the Spirit in the congregation are crucial. When the ministry of Peter and John was challenged, they went back to their partakers of grace, and they interceded on their behalf, resulting in more miracles and signs (Acts 4:23-31). When Peter was imprisoned, "prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him" (Acts 12:5). No wonder Paul, even in his bonds, remembers his partners because of their prayers for him.

• Service is also another means of partaking of grace. Paul was writing to the bishops and the deacons in Philippi, he said they "first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God" (2 Corinthians 8:5). That is, they gave themselves for service for the fulfillment of a night vision Paul had in Acts 16:9. Even in the ministry of Jesus, we saw the 12 disciples and the 70 who gave themselves for the fulfillment of the call of Jesus. Service is one way you partake of the grace of a minister. At one time in the church, the work was too much for the Apostles, so they found seven deacons to help them take part in their ministry (Acts 6:1-6).

• Giving to the cause of a ministry makes you a partaker of the grace of that minister. We saw Lydia, the seller of purple, who provided accommodation for the ministry of Paul (Acts 16:14-15). The church at Philippi were major givers to the cause of the ministry of Paul, to the extent he said, "Ye sent once and again unto my necessity," and "Ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction" (Philippians 4:14-17).

Even Jesus Himself had partakers of grace that were giving to the cause of His ministry. We saw Jesus holding crusades from city to city and village to village, and there were women that "ministered unto Him of their substance" (Luke 8:1-3). Giving is one way to partake of any grace. Like I said before, the soldiers don't pay for their arms nor uniforms.

In order for you to be an effective and responsible member of the body of Christ pursuing the ultimate grace, which is the Great Commission, you must be committed to giving in your local assembly. By now, tithing should not be a problem; apart from your offerings, you should budget for kingdom finances from your earnings.

When God commanded Moses to build the temple, it was His partakers of grace that gave for the actualization of that plan of God (Exodus 35:23-29). In this computerized world, the gospel would not go far without finances. God blessed you so you can pursue the ultimate grace with your finances. Like Bishop Oyedepo would say, we are kingdom treasurers; we are holding money for God, and any project He wants to do to further the gospel, we release it. Friend, live for the kingdom, live for the ultimate grace. No minister can pursue what God asked him to do without partakers of grace, and in the same way, even you as an individual may never actualize your destiny without the men God has set over you.

The Part of the Partaker

Partakers of grace not only play a part in the actualization of the pursuit of the ultimate grace through the ministers set over them but also share in the rewards of the battles won from the ultimate grace. King David said, "as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff... and it was so from that day forward... an ordinance for Israel" (1 Samuel 30:24-26). "It was so from that day forward," even today, because the Old Testament is a shadow of the New (Hebrews 10:1). So, by part-taking of the grace of a minister, you also partake in the rewards won from every soul in that ministry. Let us look briefly at a few of the rewards one can partake in by part-taking of the grace of a minister.

• The anointing of the ministry: Friend, one of the easiest ways to receive an anointing from a minister is by partaking in the pursuit of his calling. No purpose of God can be achieved in the energy of the flesh; it takes an enduement of power to see purpose fulfilled (Zechariah 4:6). That was why when God told Moses to bring seventy men who would stand with him in pursuit of his grace (purpose), He said to Moses that He would take the Spirit that is upon him and give it to them so that they can stand with him (Numbers 11:17). Partaking of the grace of a minister makes you a candidate for the grace-gifts or anointing at work in that ministry.

We saw examples of this in Scripture. Elisha, who poured water in the cup of Elijah, partook of his anointing (2 Kings 2:9-15). We also see Jesus and His disciples. Peter manifested strange dimensions of the healing at work in Jesus (Acts 9:40-41).

We also saw laymen and women who got cheap miracles through the anointing of the ministry by part-taking of grace, women like Mary Magdalene and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, who got healed by the ministry of Jesus but ministered their substance unto Him (Luke 8:2-3). Even the widow received supernatural supplies through the anointing of Elijah by partaking of Grace (1 Kings 17:11-15).

• Breakthroughs
  Paul said, "all things work together for good to them that love God and to them that are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). So when we come in line with the purpose of God in a minister's life and ministry, all things begin to work for your good the same way it does for the ministry. Because for God to bless the ministry, He has to bless its partakers of grace so that they can play their part and, by so doing, increase and enlarge the ministry.

Peter, who was an example of business failure, connected to the ultimate grace through the ministry of Jesus by allowing Him to preach in his place of business. He enclosed a great multitude of fishes, a major net-tearing, boat-sinking order of breakthrough (Luke 5:1-7). Friends, that is the lot of every partaker of grace.

Among many other benefits, these are the two major ones: the anointing that breaks the yokes and releases divine insights your way, and breakthroughs through divine direction. Friend, partake of grace. Your purpose was given to you so you can pursue the actualization of the ultimate grace, the Great Commission. As from today, I see your purpose or grace becoming a grace that saves! Remain blessed.

Jesus is Lord!

Min. Roi