Welcome To DenSu Ministries - Reaching The Unreached With The Gospel Of Jesus Christ
   

True Happiness Is Partnership With God

Chapter Seven

True Happiness Is Partnership With God! Living in partnership with our Creator is the most rewarding of life’s experiences. This is how we reach our full potential and highest purpose as children of God.

No experience in our lifetime can compare with the times when we are living in partnership with God. Our daily participation with God in fulfilling His plans and purposes for our lives and the lives of others that we touch, bring us the deepest joy and True Happiness.

Living life outside of relationship and partnership with God caused your life to be empty and meaningless, but when you received Jesus and were Born Again, you became a partner with God. You are ready to live supernaturally, hand in hand with Him by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed His Word by the signs that accompanied It, and He now wants to work with you.

True Happiness Is Partnership With God.....

In the previous chapter, we discussed some aspects of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in your life, especially those pertaining to your living in personal victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil, and His moment-by-moment guidance in your life. We now want to move on to what is possibly the most important part of your Christian life: living in partnership with God by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is how life was always meant to be between God and people: God working with people to accomplish His purposes on earth. Remember in Chapter One:

“Adam and Eve had wonderfully blessed lives as they reigned together with their Creator. God gave them dominion over all living creatures on the earth and told them to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. God basically placed them in charge of everything, even down to the naming of the animals.”

We now have an even higher calling and purpose to perform as children of God. Since Jesus redeemed us by dying in our place and bought us back with His Own Precious Blood, we are not our own any longer but are set apart for the high and holy purpose of helping others come to know Jesus Christ, too.

We do this by allowing God to live His Life through us in the same way that He lived His Life through Jesus when He was here on earth. Making God known to the human race is a supernatural task that can only be accomplished by the Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit that worked through Jesus Christ now wants to work through us to reveal God to people everywhere.

When Jesus returned to His Father in Heaven, He commissioned His followers, which includes us today, to go into all the world and tell the Good News about Him to all people everywhere so that they could also believe, receive Him, and be saved, like us.

The Bible says, "Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the One they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the One of Whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”

You are vital to God’s plan of making Jesus known to others. It is through partnership with you that God wants to proclaim the Good News about Jesus to others around you. Now that you have been saved and have come to know Jesus, your purpose in life is to make Jesus Christ known to others by telling them about Him.

It would not be right for you to receive all these blessings from God and then not share them with others that you come in contact with. Jesus Christ died for everyone’s sins. Therefore everyone must know this Good News. You cannot allow anyone to die in sin and go to Hell forever without having the same chance to receive Jesus Christ that you had.

The greatest act of love that one human being can perform for another is to tell them the Good News about Jesus Christ, so that they also can believe in, receive, and call on the Name of the Lord to be saved. But they cannot call upon Jesus if they have not heard that He died in their place in payment for all their sins, and that He is the one and only way to return to their Creator, God.

God’s primary reason for leaving you here on earth and not taking you to Heaven right now is so that you can make Jesus known to others. God used someone to bring the Gospel to you and now wants to use you to do the same for others whom He will reach with the Good News through you.

Let’s study the following portion of God’s Word, which will reveal much to you about God’s plan to reach others through you:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made Him Who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

These words begin by reminding us that you are a new creature in Christ. Your old life is gone. You have an entirely new life, and this is all from God. He has reconciled you to Himself. God has not only brought you back to Him, but He has changed you so that you can have fellowship and live in partnership with Him.

Not only has God reconciled you to Him, but He has then given you the ministry of reconciliation, along with the rest of us believers. This is a service that you can now perform for others, for their good, on behalf of Jesus Christ and for His Glory.

You are now an ambassador for Christ, a representative of God. This is an awesome privilege and power that God has bestowed upon you. You are a messenger of hope, peace, and life to lost and dying souls wherever you go. As an ambassador for Christ, you have everything you need to accomplish the ministry of reconciliation. You can go in Jesus’ Name, expecting God to work through you supernaturally in making Christ known to others. His Authority is now yours.

He has not only given you the ministry of reconciliation, but God has also committed the message of reconciliation to you: “that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them.” This message is what you tell others so that they can also hear of the goodness of God and the gift of His Son, Jesus, on their behalf. It is only when they hear this Good News that they will know they can now be restored to their Creator.

Most people know about their sins, and they are running from God because of it. They haven’t yet heard that God has reconciled them to Him through Christ and that He is no longer counting their sins against them. As people hear this wonderful news, they will want to return to God and take their rightful place as His child.

But they must hear, and God has chosen you to tell them, the Good News about Jesus Who died on the Cross in their place and suffered their punishment so that they wouldn’t have to suffer. They must hear from you about the precious Blood that Jesus shed to pay for their sins, and to buy them back from the slave market of sin. They cannot believe in Someone of Whom they have not heard.

They must hear from you that, “God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them.”

They must hear from you that, “God made Him Who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”

They must hear from you, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”

They must hear from you, “That the wages of sin is death, but the Gift of God is Eternal Life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

They must hear from you, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast.”

They must hear from you, “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

They must hear from you, “That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

They must hear from you, "Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved."

They must hear from you, “All who received Him (Jesus), to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.”

Remember, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Therefore, you must proclaim the Truth of God’s Word to those you come in contact with each day. When they hear what Jesus is like and what He has done for them, they will be able to run to God and embrace His Gift of Eternal Life instead of running and hiding from Him because of their sins and the devil’s deception.

God is no respecter of persons. What He has done for you, He wants to do for others through you. God’s primary reason for leaving you on earth, after saving you, is to allow you to participate with Him in sharing the Good News about Jesus with others you come in contact with. “Freely you have received, therefore freely give.”

It is written, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, Who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”

The grace, mercy, peace, comfort, and forgiveness that you have received from God is now yours to pass on to others. This is God’s plan and His purpose for your life; pass on to others all that God has given you. True Happiness will become most evident in your life when you become the instrument to bring True Happiness to others.

In the beginning, “God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply.” And Jesus Christ said, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in My Name.”

God’s plan has always been for His children to receive His blessings and then pass them on to others. God wants to live His life through you, doing through you what He did through Jesus. As you proclaim to others the same Good News that you believe, then they can also believe in, and receive, Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Jesus Christ said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in Me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in My Name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask Me for anything in My Name, and I will do it.”

Jesus also said, “Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. 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.”

All of the power, love, and boldness that we need come to us from the Holy Spirit, as we remain in Christ and trust the Holy Spirit to empower us and live the life of Jesus Christ through us. We cannot do the works that Jesus did in our own strength or power. Without Him, we can do nothing.We must remain in Him.

One of the last commands that Jesus gave His followers was:

Jesus said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to every person. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

And these signs will accompany those who believe: In My Name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."

After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into Heaven and He sat at the right hand of God. Thevn the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed His Word by thve signs that accompanied it.

It is exvciting to read how Jesus commanded them to go preach to everyone everywhere and how He worked with them from Hevaven to confirm His Word, with signs following as they proclaimed It. The Scriptures below help us see the role of the Holy Spirit in all of this and how essential He is to our success as Christ’s ambassadors:

"Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard Me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. After He said this, He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight.”

The first followers of Jesus Christ did exactly what He told them to do. They waited and they prayed, and God did exactly what He promised. Here’s the record in God’s Word of how this happened:

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from Heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under Heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.

Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs--we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!"

The Good News about Jesus was proclaimed by ordinary people empowered by the Holy Spirit to people from all over the world. Here is the account from God’s Word as to what happened next as they preached and witnessed about Jesus:

"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know. This Man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the Cross. But God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him.

God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call."

With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to the Church daily those who were being saved.

Here we read the Biblical account of the beginnings of Christianity. Thousands of people believed in Jesus Christ and were baptized and added to the Church. (You can read more about Baptism and the Church in the Appendix of this book). The lives of these people were changed forever. Signs, wonders, and miracles occurred in Jesus’s Name, and everyone was filled with awe. The Holy Spirit was now doing, through the believers, that which He had done through Jesus when He was on earth, and this continued.

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer--at three in the afternoon. Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk."

Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade.

When Peter saw this, he said to them: "Why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? God has glorified His servant Jesus. You handed Him over to be killed, and you disowned Him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised Him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.

By faith in the Name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus's Name and the faith that comes through Him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see. "Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what He had foretold through all the prophets, saying that His Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that He may send the Christ, Who has been appointed for you--even Jesus.

Then Peter and John were arrested by the religious leaders of that day. But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand. The number of believers continued to grow despite persecution and opposition.

The next day the rulers had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?" Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Whom you crucified but Whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given to men by which we must be saved." When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say.

The rulers and the authorities finally released the believers, commanding them not to speak in Jesus’s Name any longer, but Peter and John returned to the other believers and joined them in this prayer:

“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak Your Word with great boldness. Stretch out Your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the Name of your Holy Servant Jesus.”

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly. All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.

With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.

The same Holy Spirit that revealed God and His mighty power to the world in the days when Jesus was on earth now did the same things, in and through the lives of believers after Jesus returned to Heaven.

It is written, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” And “The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, will also quicken your mortal bodies.” The same Holy Spirit, who now lives in you, wants to manifest the life of Jesus Christ through you today.

The boldness, love, and power of the believers in the early days of Christianity were supplied by the Holy Spirit, and are also available to you and me today so that we can also be the witnesses that God wants us to be in our generation, among our families, our friends, and all those with whom we come in contact each day.

“True Happiness Is Partnership With God.” We partner with Him and He partners with us as we allow Him to work in and through us by the Holy Spirit as we go and proclaim the Good News about Jesus to others. He then works with us, confirming His Word with signs following.

As you allow God to fulfill His purposes for you in your lifetime, you will be filled with an indescribable joy that will bring you more True Happiness than you ever knew was possible. Yet this True Happiness will not even begin to compare with the Glory you will experience on that day when you arrive in Heaven with Jesus, and you see Him face to face and He says to you:

“Well done my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your Master's Happiness!”

You may have started out reading this book just to fill a void in your life, but you have now discovered that life is so much more than you ever dreamed it could or would be, all because of Jesus. Don’t let this opportunity slip away, and don’t let Satan deceive you anymore.

Take hold of that for which God has taken hold of you. Make the most of all that God has now caused you to be. Live Eternal Life to It’s fullest. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

After reading the appendix, you will have an opportunity to request a free copy of God’s Word so that you can read and study it and then go and do what it says, but even now you must begin to act upon, and put into practice, all that you have read and learned. Read this book over and over and order more copies, free of charge, so that you can pass them on to others who are still without Jesus. Remember, “Freely you have received, therefore freely give.”

Here’s a prayer that will now help you consecrate yourself to God for a life of service in partnership with Him:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You so much for giving your Son, Jesus, to die in my place so that I could return to You and become your child. I am so grateful for Your love and for Your provision for my life in every way. Thank You for taking care of me and for abundantly meeting all my needs.

But now, Lord, I understand that You didn’t just save me for myself but have saved me so that You can live through me by the Holy Spirit and so that others can also have all that You have given me.

I know that being an ambassador for Christ is an awesome privilege, and I receive this calling from you today with humility, knowing that it is only by Your Power that I can fulfill this responsibility.

Therefore, I ask You now to fill me with Your Holy Spirit, imparting to me all that I need from You, to be all that You have called me to be. I open my life to You right now, Holy Spirit, and I invite You to come into my life and fill, control, and empower me so that Jesus Christ will be glorified in and through my life, as I proclaim Him to others.

Thank you, Jesus, for baptizing me with the Holy Spirit as You promised to do. I receive the Holy Spirit by faith in Your Word right now, and I believe that I am now empowered by God to serve others in Jesus’s Name and that as I tell others the Good News about Jesus, lay hands on the sick, and cast out demons in Jesus’s Name, You will work with me, confirming Your Word with signs following.

I believe that the fruit of the Spirit will be manifested in and through my life, as I walk in the Spirit and keep in step with the Holy Spirit. I commit myself to loving God supremely and my neighbor as myself.

Holy Spirit, use my life anyway, anytime, and anywhere you desire. Manifest Your gifts and the life of Jesus through my life, as I seek to follow Your direction and be all that God has called me to be.

In Jesus’s Name, AMEN!