Lk.5:9,10 – For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.”
This passage has been one of my favorite stories of the ministry of Jesus and His interaction with His disciples for many years. As the story goes, Peter and the boys had fished all night and caught nothing. All of us can relate to that, we have done plenty of work and the results just don’t measure up. That’s when Jesus borrowed Peter’s boat to preach from; following His teaching He said, “launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch”. The results was supernatural, as Oral Roberts used to preach “it was a net ripping, boat sinking harvest of fish”. They went from having nothing to having an abundant supply. This pretty much tells the story, supernatural was always there when Jesus was involved.
But take a look for just a moment at one word in this passage, partners or koinonos with one another. They were partners with one another in the fishing business. They joined their resources and talents together so that they could make a living. That’s what most partnerships are all about, survival and in the best case scenario a prosperous lifestyle. That was about to change, they were now being invited into a supernatural partnership that was designed to change the world and supply their needs as well. They were now being invited into a supernatural partnership not just to provide for their families but to advance the kingdom of God.
That’s exactly what happens to each of us when Jesus calls us out of the world and plants us in a church. He calls us into a fellowship, communion, partnership with Him. That’s where it all begins. Then He plants us in a church where we join with others in this spiritual union to effect our world. As a result people are saved and ministered to and the Lord supplies supernaturally to us and our families.
As you have probably already realized this partnership with the Lord and His church is closely associated with our giving, our tithes and our offerings. He calls us to leave our former life and join together with Him. We bring whatever little we have and He brings His supernatural into our world.
