The word translated partnership in the NIV is a word we are all familiar with – it is in fact the word “Koinonia”. The book of Phil. Is a book on partnership because Paul uses the word a total of 6 times, with 4 different perspectives :
• Phil 1:5 where he talks about their “Partnership in the Gospel”
• Phil 2:1 “Partnership with the Spirit”
• Phil 3:10; 4:14 “Partnership in suffering”
• Phil 4:15 , which is what so many of us really understand to be partnership. He talks about the partnership of material resources.
What Paul therefore does is show us that there are in fact several different ways to partner together, but I would go further to suggest that the sort of partnership we are talking about, and the depth of partnership we desire, in fact encompasses all these 4 elements. So let’s look at them a little closer . . .
I cannot go into great detail about these 4 chapters in the time frame we have so allow me to make observation from Phil that enable us to understand partnership.
1. The context of fertile partnerships . . . In Ch 1 of Phil. The context of Paul’s partnership with the Philippians was their deep relationship, and his deep love for them. Several things strike one about Paul’s relationship with the Philippians – Vs 4 – 8 . . . The words Paul uses here are deeply emotional words . . . The literal translation of Vs 8 is “I yearn for you with all the bowels of Jesus Christ” 2 things there – can you recall the time when you first fell in love as a teenager – how your stomach used to do summersaults when you saw your loved one? I think this is why the Greeks thought of the bowels as the seat of emotions, because when you are in love and you see your loved one then your stomach starts doing knots, your heartbeat races, you’re short of breath, etc. The Splagchna or bowels included all these organs for the Greek – the bowels, the heart, the liver and the lungs – all the organs affected by love –Paul feelings for the Philippians run this deep. This is the foundation for true partnership.
2. The orientation of fertile Partnership: But you and I know that deep emotions are not a sufficient ground for a firm relationship, and that love needs to go beyond feelings. He too Paul teaches us about the true orientation of a partnership. Again we cannot draw this out in the time we have, but allow me tell you that one of the surprising thing about the book of Philippians is the orientation of the book – Paul, even in his suffering, DOES NOT dwell on himself, but on the Philippians – he writes this book to encourage them, and he even seems to make light of his own needs so that he can focus on them and theirs. Take for example Ch 2 – here he was, presumably in Rome, suffering in chains, with out the freedom to go out and tend to his own needs, but fortunate to have Epaphroditus and Timothy there to send about. But what does Paul do? Timothy - Vs 19; Epaphroditus - Vs 25. And again, look at Ch 1:21 – 26 he expresses a clear desire to die and be with the Lord, but for their sake, he chooses to remain. The orientation that sustains partnership is “the other, not self”.
3. The bonding of fertile partnerships : In Ch 3 Paul talks about the suffering of Christ, and his longing to participate in it. Good people, if only we could understand the value of suffering, we would understand why it is important that we suffer. Paul’s suffering for Christ held the potential to test and refine his faith. He understood this and did not shy away from it, in fact he longed for it, because he understood that was the price he would have to pay if he really wanted to fellowship deeper with Christ. One of the problems of modern day religiosity is that it has been fine-tuned to avoid any form of suffering or inconvenience. Is it any wonder that so much of our religiosity is so shallow? If the truth be told you and I know that we only ever grew when we went thru the trials of life. Such trials stretch and grow us; but when there is no pain, there is no gain. Paul understood this and knew that if he was going to press on in his pursuit of Christ, then he must face suffering with courage.
I suggest to us that one of the reasons why so many of our partnerships are often so shallow, is because we are not willing to face any trials in them, we shy away from conflict instead of growing thru conflict, and so the fruit – or should I say the potential fruit of conflict never matures. When we go thru trials together, we bond!
4. The Focus of fertile Partnerships : The focus of Paul’s own partnership with the Philippians was not the relationship itself, but the Gospel, and so he calls it the “your partnership in the gospel”. Relationships are important, but Paul’s relationship with the Philippians had a clear goal – the advancement of the gospel. Even as Africans our relationships are never really directionless – they serve a purpose. So too, when we try and forge partnerships with those from the West, we need to remember the place of the goal. Because they tend to be task oriented, they can help us in this way to keep the goal clear; but we can help them remember that the goal is not everything for the partnership must be founded on our relationship. In our accomplishment of the task therefore – they must ask “what resources and time have we set aside for relationships”, and we must ask “how well are we working towards defined goals?”
5. The attitude of fertile partnerships : Attitudes quickly go wrong in a context of conflict and misunderstanding. One of the richest models of partnership anywhere in the Bible is the incarnation of Christ, and in Phil 2 Paul explores some dynamics of this . . . Many times, in talking about the incarnation, we envision geographical incarnation, and read Phil 2 as an example of geographical incarnation. BUT this is not where Paul, or Christ began – Phil 2:5 – 11. There is a pattern here – real incarnation begins with attitude . . . long before Jesus came to earth, he dealt with attitude . . . so too for us, the first incarnation, prior to geographical incarnation, is the incarnation of our attitude - otherwise we stand the danger of going into a partnership, or into a mission field, with an arrogant “know it all” attitude - analyzing peoples, unable to respect culture and offering solutions nobody wants.
Jesus’ incarnation had 3 parts to it : (i) Vs 6 - He dealt with his attitude towards his privileges and power. He consciously let go of them! (ii) Vs 7 – secondly, he took on the humility of a servant, and became obedient. (iii) He then located himself in the culture that he was to minister in, at the obvious level of dependency – he was a child, he learnt the ways of the people, he submitted to their teaching, etc, etc. How instructive it is that before Jesus began to speak, he became a child of his culture and lived with humanity 30 years, he learnt our ways and understood our pain.
Interestingly also, when he sent out the disciples in Mt 10 to preach the gospel, he used the same principles he had modeled – even where they had silver and gold, they were to leave them behind. Secondly, they were not to stay in the inn, or to purchase services - they were to depend on the people for hospitality – even to the point of being rejected and cast out. Thirdly, they were to go as messengers to serve the people, healing their sick, raising their dead, cleansing their leprous and restoring their demon possessed – that is tending to the needs of the people.
My point is that partnerships need to be dressed in a clear garment of humility, and the onus of wearing that garment belongs to the one who stands as the powerful. In this letter to the Philippians, it is Paul who wears the cloak of humility. You can sense it as he lifts up the Philippians, tends to their need, focuses on them . . . and while at the same time he humbles himself and his needs.
6. Finally, let me touch on the place of financial resources
In many West – 2/3 world partnerships, resources are the most divisive and most difficult issue to deal with, but let me make an observation from Philippians that I think should stand as a principle of partnership – Paul leaves matters of finances to the last! Why is this so? I suggest it is because finances always stand the chance of souring partnerships. Let me explain with an example, but I hope the example won’t turn you off – Finances in partnership are like pre-marital sex in a relationship. Once you participate in it, it stands the chance of overwhelming the relationship to the point where a couple does not grow spiritually or emotionally, but are now consumed with the agenda of sex. In the same manner, when a partnership starts on, or early into the relationship finances are exchanged, the partnership may never really get over that hurdle – or may need special nurture to get over it. Finances are good and needful, but they have their time and place.
