Partners With God

By Tom Ellsworth

Alvah grew up in Lafayette, Indiana, the son of a farmer who died when he was only 12. Out of necessity his mother took over the family farm and he was forced to grow up quickly. Alvah showed a real interest in mechanical things so it was no surprise that by the time he reached age 16 he had become a self-taught watchmaker. Within six years he was building and repairing watches for a jewelry store in Hammond, Indiana.

Up in Minnesota, Richard was advertising for a good watchmaker. Much like Alvah, Richard had been forced to find work at a young age to help his financially stricken family. His golden opportunity came when a consignment of watches arrived at the railroad station where he was an agent. When the shipment was refused by the local jeweler, Richard seized the opportunity to make some extra money. He sought permission from the watch company to sell their timepieces rather than ship them back. The company agreed and in a short time he had sold them all. He knew very little about the internal workings of a watch, but he discovered he had a real talent for selling them. Within six months he had his own mail-order watch company. What he didn”t have was a competent watchmaker.

Back in Indiana Alvah was searching for a new challenge. He scoured the help-wanted section of the Chicago newspapers, found Richard”s ad and responded. It worked out. Alvah had no interest in being a watch salesman and Richard had no interest in being a watchmaker. It was the perfect partnership.

An Overlooked Concept

The word partnership is often overlooked when we consider church leadership and kingdom opportunities. Before I become consumed with the latest leadership model or visionary principle, I must remember that I am not in this ministry alone. My role in the body of Christ is that of a partner. Yours is too.

God has decided to make us partners with him in the greatest of all adventures. That simple truth is more than I can fathom. God doesn”t need me; as a matter of fact he could do a much better job without me. The good news is he wants us! The Father has willingly chosen to partner with his children to carry out his eternal mission.

I can”t help but wonder if God has ever regretted that decision. After all, Abraham lied, Jacob stole, Moses murdered, Samson capitulated, Saul disobeyed, David lusted, Solomon rejected, and the list goes on. Given this historical track record, it would have made sense to me to make some directional changes at the birth of Christ. Who could blame God if the New Testament began with this divine disclaimer?

“Whereas the gospel is too precious to entrust to mere mortals and whereas the spiritual needs of the lost are eternally too great, I therefore proclaim, no more joint ventures with Adam”s offspring.”

Thankfully, God”s thoughts are higher than my thoughts””much higher. I am grateful he still invites us to be partners with him. On those days when I find myself relying too much on my own leadership skills or worrying too much about the outcome as if it depended on me alone, I take a deep breath and remind myself that I am just a partner””just the junior partner. God is and always will be the senior partner.

God”s Part and Noah”s Part

Let me give you one of many examples.

I never cease to be amazed at Noah”s partnership with God. With the story of Noah it is so easy to get sidetracked by the zoological issues, or the controversy about a global deluge or the anticipation that the ark just might be encased in a glacier in the mountains of present-day Turkey. Consequently, we miss the best part of the story: Noah was a partner with God in saving the world (Genesis 6:5-10).

My two favorite words in the Bible story are these, “But Noah” (v. 8). Obviously, it would have been simpler for God just to start over. “But Noah. . . .” So much was hanging in the balance; the salvation of the human race was at stake. Could the Lord really trust this landlubber to get the job done?

It was not Noah”s skill but God”s favor that made the partnership a reality. God could have done it better alone, but he chose to partner with Noah.

Noah”s first job: build the boat. The ark was 450 feet long, 45 feet high, and 75 feet wide. It was not until 1858 that a vessel of larger size was constructed. By measuring these dimensions and estimating its weight, we discover the ark would have had a displacement of 43,000 tons.

The instructions were clear; this was Noah”s share in the partnership, and it was a huge responsibility. When you get discouraged with the overwhelming size of your responsibilities in the church, stop and think about the awesome size of Noah”s project, and just maybe your perspective will change.

Noah”s second job: fill the boat. The ark was filled with specimens of the animal kingdom to repopulate the world after the flood. That floating zoo contained two of every animal, seven of every clean animal, eight members of Noah”s family, and enough food and fresh water to sustain them all. God brought the animals””his share of the partnership””but I”m convinced Noah organized them on board. It would seem logical that many if not all would have been very young. The young would have consumed less food, been easier to care for and would have lived longer after the flood.

Richard Sears and Alvah Roebuck worked together for eight years before Alvah sold his shares in Sears, Roebuck and Company. While Mr. Roebuck experienced some success on his own, he suffered great losses in the stock market crash of 1929. He was forced to return to Chicago where he rejoined Sears, Roebuck and Company. Then in 1934, at age 70, a Sears store manager asked him to make a public appearance. The event was so successful that Mr. Roebuck went on tour, appearing at retail stores all across the country. He spent the last 14 years of his life””perhaps the best years of his life””sharing the story all across America of the partnership that started it all.

Alone we will accomplish nothing of lasting value; this partnership with God is our only hope and salvation. Jesus put it this way, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). I still can”t comprehend that the God of the universe wants to partner with us in saving the world, but I am eternally glad he does. And that”s a story I want to tell for the rest of my life!

 

 

Tom Ellsworth is senior minister with Sherwood Oaks Christian Church in Bloomington, Indiana.