Partners for the Great Commission

As the early Church grew, Christians gradually discovered that God had different plans for different people—different callings and different points of emphasis. This became clear when God called Philip to bring the Gospel to an Ethiopian (Acts 8) and Peter to preach to Cornelius and other Gentiles (Acts 10).

Some were not sure about Paul’s ministry. He had persecuted the Church. He hadn’t walked with Jesus on earth. How were they to view his ministry? Was his message truly from God?
When Paul visited Jerusalem, church leaders recognized that both Paul and Peter served the same Lord and proclaimed the same Gospel. They weren’t rivals but partners—fellow laborers. They simply had individual differences and unique mission fields.

This same principle remains. The core message of the Gospel is just as true today as it was in New Testament times. This truth cannot be compromised. Keeping that in mind, the Bible tells us, “there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6). God works in many ways and through many people. Yet all true Christians serve the same God—not as competitors or rivals, but as partners.

Ask God to help you grasp your unique role within the Body of Christ. Seek to serve Him faithfully in the function He gives you. Be ready to partner with others. Remember: He can and will use all means to save the Lost and see the Gospel proclaimed.