There is power in unity. Unity does not mean uniformity; it does not require us all to be the same. It means we are united around a common vision and mission. When unity leads to partnership, something greater becomes possible.
Even on a purely human level, people working together can accomplish far more than they could alone. As the familiar acronym for team reminds us, “Together, Everyone Accomplishes More.”
Scripture takes the principle even further: one can put a thousand to flight, but two can chase ten thousand (see Deuteronomy 32:30). God does something supernatural when we work in unity and partnership—with one another and with Him.
God never intended the Christian life to be a solitary effort to fulfill a divine assignment. He wants us to work in partnership with Him and has given us the Holy Spirit as our Helper, Friend, and Partner.
Another Helper Just Like Jesus
Jesus promised His disciples that He would send another Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who would remain with them forever:
“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever” (John 14:16 NKJV).
The word translated “another” is the Greek word allos, meaning another of the same kind—one besides another. By using this word, Jesus was saying, in effect, “The Father will send One besides Me and in addition to Me, but One just like Me. He will do in My absence what I would do if I were physically present with you.” Jesus was emphasizing continuity. The Holy Spirit would continue what Jesus had demonstrated and taught.
If Jesus were to walk through the doors of our church, our faith would likely rise immediately. We would expect healing, deliverance, revelation, and a very good sermon. Yet Jesus said the Holy Spirit has been given as another Helper, just like Him. Too often, Christian communities limit what God wants to do because we are unsure He will move. But God does want to move through the Holy Spirit, who is coeternal with the Father and the Son.
The word “Helper” in John 14:16 is paraklētos. It derives from para, meaning “beside,” and kaleō, meaning “to call.” It describes someone called to another’s side—an intercessor, comforter, advocate, and counselor. In nonbiblical literature, a paraklētos could be an attorney who appeared in court on someone else’s behalf.
We are all familiar with advertisements telling us whom to call after an accident. Here in Arizona, you might think of Lerner and Rowe. There is nothing wrong with them, but it is profoundly comforting to know we have an eternal Advocate—an unfailing Helper and Companion who comes alongside us.
Romans 8 shows us the Holy Spirit helping us in our weakness and making intercession through groanings that cannot be uttered (Romans 8:26). Jesus also lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25). The Spirit is involved with the Father and the Son on our behalf.
The Father sent the Holy Spirit to come alongside us and help us, and He is just like Jesus. He reveals the Father and the Son, leads us into truth, guides and directs us, gives us strength, and comforts us.
Romans 8:14 says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” (NKJV) The word translated “led” is related to the Greek agō, meaning to lead, guide, bring, or carry. There is a realm of living in the Holy Spirit—communing with Him and being guided by Him—that is essential to a vibrant Christian life.
We need both the Word and the Spirit. The Word of God anchors us through doctrine, correction, and reproof; the Spirit breathes upon the Word, bringing it alive in us. Word and Spirit belong together if we are to walk in the fullness God intends for us under the new covenant.
We also grow in community. The Protestant Reformer John Calvin echoed an early-church conviction when he said, in essence, that if God is our Father, the church is our mother.
Modern Protestant Christianity can reduce salvation to “just me and God.” Certainly, we are justified by faith and born again as individuals, but we grow in community. We need communion with God and with one another. We become mature as we receive His Word, follow His Spirit, and live among His people.
The Communion of the Holy Spirit
Paul’s benediction in 2 Corinthians brings these truths together:
“Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen” (2 Corinthians 13:11–14 NKJV).
The phrase “become complete” alone contains a sermon. We become complete through the Word of God, the Spirit of God, and life in the community of God. Paul then urges believers to comfort one another, pursue unity, live in peace, and greet one another with a holy kiss. That greeting remains common in parts of the Middle East and in countries such as Argentina. We may choose a handshake instead, but Paul’s point is that the life of the Spirit is never detached from loving relationships among God’s people.
Verse 14 names all three Persons of the Godhead: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit.” Through Jesus, we know the Father’s love, and the Holy Spirit brings us into communion with God and with God’s people. Our salvation is found in Christ. We come to the Father through Him, and by the Spirit we are brought into one body (1 Corinthians 12:13).
Genuine life in the Spirit never leaves Jesus behind. There are many spirits in the world, and spirituality detached from Christ quickly becomes dangerous. Our communion with the Spirit remains submitted to Jesus, anchored in Scripture, and expressed in the Spirit’s fruit and gifts.
The word “communion” is translated from the Greek koinōnia. It can mean fellowship, communion, sharing, participation, or partnership. It conveys commonality, solidarity, and shared responsibility. In its broadest sense, it denotes a shared conviction that manifests as mutual responsibility and a shared standing.
This adds a rich dimension to Paul’s blessing. The communion of the Holy Spirit is not merely a pleasant spiritual feeling. It is the fellowship, participation, partnership, and shared responsibility of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives.
Partners in the Miraculous Catch
Luke 5 gives us a vivid picture of partnership:
“So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.
“When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, ‘Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’
“But Simon answered and said to Him, ‘Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.’ And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!’
“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.’ So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him” (Luke 5:1–11 NKJV).
I love this story, perhaps partly because I love fishing. A family member of mine, when he was younger, found a case of dynamite with a couple of other boys near Prescott, Arizona. They decided to go fishing with it. They lit the dynamite, threw it into the water, and watched the fish rise to the surface. It was certainly not an approved fishing method! Yet even that could not compare with the catch Jesus gave Peter.
Jesus used Peter’s boat as a pulpit. Without a public-address system, He moved far enough from shore to address the crowd without being crushed by it. When He had finished preaching, He wanted to bless Peter. He told him to go into the deep water and lower the nets.
Peter knew the fishing business. The best time to catch large fish was at night, not in the heat of the day. He and his crew had worked all night and caught nothing. Still, he replied, “Nevertheless, at Your word I will let down the net.” That phrase speaks to us today. There may be something the Lord has already spoken to you about. Your circumstances may argue against it, but God is calling you to an “at Your word” moment. What net is He asking you to lower?
When Peter obeyed, the catch strained the nets to their limit. It was too much for one boat and its crew, so they signaled to their partners. The other boat came, and together they caught so much that both boats began to sink.
The English text speaks of “partners” in verse 7, and verse 10 describes James and John with a word from the koinōnia family: koinōnoi, partners or sharers with Simon. These were the same “sons of thunder” who would later want to call fire down from heaven, but here they were fishermen astonished by Christ’s power. They were business associates who would also become partners in faith and ministry.
With that picture in mind, we can hear 2 Corinthians 13:14 this way: “The partnership of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
Peter’s partners came alongside him when the miracle was too great for him to handle alone. In an infinitely greater way, the Holy Spirit comes alongside us to accomplish what we could never do on our own.
Peter’s first response to the miracle was an awareness of his own sinfulness: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” When God’s power becomes tangible, people often become aware of how unholy they are. But Christ is our holiness. Do not run from Him. Bow before Him and say, “Jesus, here I am. Forgive me and cleanse me.” His blood is effective in every season of our lives—past, present, and future.
After the greatest catch of their careers, Peter, James, and John left everything to follow Jesus. Someone undoubtedly ended up with all those fish, but these men had encountered something more valuable than any business success they had ever known. Jesus can touch a life so deeply that a person will walk away from a secure career to follow Him.
For some—especially younger ones—God may be tapping you on the shoulder, saying, “I have something for you. Come, follow Me.” It may feel risky. Step carefully, pray, seek confirmation, and remember that there is safety in a multitude of counselors (Proverbs 11:14). But if Jesus is truly calling, go with Him. He is better than a boat full of fish!
Saying Yes to the Call
Before I became a full-time pastor, I worked as an electrical engineer. On a business trip, I flew from Florida to Minnesota to inspect equipment we were designing. Microsoft was becoming enormous, and I passed a magazine featuring Bill Gates on the cover. I thought, “God, imagine what I could do if I had even a fraction of his money and resources.” The Holy Spirit immediately stopped me and said, “I can do more in one day than you can do in forty years of working.”
Small encounters like that prepared me for the day when God would ask me to leave a secure, well-paying engineering career to enter missions, plant a church, and serve Tucson. You can trust Him. At the same time, do not act on every passing impression. Pray through major decisions. Invite mature believers to pray with you. Seek wise counsel and confirmation.
The partnership we see in Luke 5 makes sense when we consider Jesus’ earthly life. Jesus and the Holy Spirit always worked together. The Holy Spirit conceived, empowered, and led Jesus. Jesus healed the sick and cast out demons by the Spirit. He was fully the Son of God and fully the Son of Man—Emmanuel, God with us.
The church has long debated whether He performed miracles as the Son of God or as the Son of Man. In one sense, the right answer is both. Yet Jesus also showed what a human life fully yielded to the Holy Spirit can look like. That does not make us equal to Jesus. It means He has given His followers the Holy Spirit so His life may be expressed through us, not merely so we can look like good Christians on Sunday morning.
Jesus said, “I can of Myself do nothing” (John 5:30). He did what He saw the Father do, relying on the Holy Spirit and following the Father’s direction. If Jesus lived in ongoing partnership with the Holy Spirit, how much more do we need that partnership?
Directed by the Spirit
Paul’s missionary journey in Acts 16 gives us another example:
“Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them” (Acts 16:6–10 NIV).
Paul was obeying God. He took the gospel to unreached places, saw people converted, and planted churches. Yet the Holy Spirit stopped him twice. Scripture does not tell us exactly how. Perhaps the Spirit spoke clearly; perhaps Paul sensed a check in his spirit and lost his peace. God often guides us through His peace. Eventually, Paul received a vision that made the new direction clear: Macedonia.
Because believers have the Holy Spirit and the mind of Christ, a good rule is to move forward with what you understand—unless the Spirit checks you. Whether you are starting a business, accepting a job, buying a house, entering ministry, or considering another major change, walk in the light and peace you have. If you sense the Spirit redirecting you, pause to pray. He may be sending you somewhere you cannot yet see.
When God Redirects the Journey
My wife and I learned this through experience. We were living in Florida after missions work in Haiti and serving as youth pastors when we received an invitation to become missionaries in Romania, taking responsibility for a church and an orphanage. We already had a history with Romania and had made several ministry trips there. I was ready to go.
My wife had peace about returning to Pennsylvania, where the inviting church was located, but she did not have peace about moving to Romania. We prayed, asked others to pray, and agreed to leave my engineering job and spend a season in Pennsylvania as we sought God.
Even the move required faith. Our Florida house had not sold, yet the moving truck arrived because we believed God was leading us. That very day, a Christian woman we had never met appeared and asked whether we would consider leasing with an option to buy. God provided at the last possible moment. She did not ultimately buy the house, but even that became part of God’s provision: when a later employer brought us to Tucson, the company covered the closing costs, real-estate fees, and other expenses. We saved thousands of dollars because God had not completed the sale on our original timetable.
After about nine months in Pennsylvania, the door to Romania closed. The pastors involved and I mutually recognized that we were not supposed to go. The Lord also told us not to return to Florida. I confess that I reminded Him that at least I could fish in salt water there! Still, God said He had something else for us.
I received two job offers, one of which was in Tucson. When I called my wife to say someone wanted to interview me in Tucson, Arizona, she asked, “Isn’t that just sand dunes?” We learned you have to travel farther toward Yuma to find them, but as we prayed, we sensed Tucson was God’s direction.
Once we arrived, the Lord said, “I brought you here to plant a church.” That had not been on my radar. He explained, “You have been on the mission field, but Tucson is now your mission field. If you will do this here, I will send you and others to more nations than you have dreamed of.” That promise has been fulfilled through many teams and mission trips, yet Tucson remains our mission field as we believe for revival and ministry to the poor and needy.
Often, God does not reveal the larger vision until after we say yes. After we agreed to plant the church and began meeting in our home, the Lord gave me a vision. I saw an immense banquet table like the marriage supper of the Lamb, covered with white cloth, beautiful silverware, and people. Then I saw a smaller table with a covered serving platter. When the Lord lifted the cover, the city of Tucson lay on the platter. He asked, “Will you do this here in this city? This is where I want you to minister now.” I said yes. He told me we would touch many people, who in turn would touch others. That vision has fueled me ever since.
I never imagined, when I was young, that I would become a pastor. I was raised in the Catholic Church and was frightened of the nuns who carried rulers—though I only occasionally deserved a whack! Yet the Holy Spirit came alongside me and made possible what I could not have produced.
After twenty-five years of ministry in Tucson, we’ve experienced many joyful stories, along with some unhappy ones. Once, a brother who had left our church told me, “I don’t know how this church is even still around.” I replied honestly, “I don’t know how it ever began—except for God!” Without the Holy Spirit’s breath, human effort alone cannot sustain our church or any ministry.
Early in the process, I told God I did not feel qualified to plant a church. In His wonderfully humbling way, He seemed to say, “You were not My first choice—or even My second choice—but you said yes.” Our qualification is not found in impressive credentials; it begins with surrender. God qualifies those He calls.
Many of my pastor friends followed a direct professional path through college, seminary, and church ministry. My path went through the Navy, coming to Christ while serving, eight years of military life, an engineering degree, engineering work, missions, and then a church plant. I joke with them that they are the professional pastors and that I was hijacked by God!
Perhaps the church needed an engineer. An earlier congregation aimed to build the sanctuary here but couldn’t resolve a complicated easement. God guided architects and skilled individuals to us and granted us favor with the city and county. As a result, the building was finally completed, along with securing the necessary funding.
What is God asking of you? There are things only you can do in partnership with Him. Whatever your age, season, or station in life, are you willing to say yes? How hungry are you to know the Holy Spirit more deeply, spend time with Him, and understand what He is saying?
The Responsibility of the Holy Spirit
Koinōnia also conveys the idea of taking responsibility for someone. Paul told the Philippians, “Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress” (Philippians 4:14 NKJV).
The word translated “shared” is a form of koinōnia. The Philippians did more than sympathize; they accepted responsibility to help.
Paul had spent years traveling, planting churches, raising leaders, and dedicating his life to the church, yet few congregations consistently supported him. He often worked as a tentmaker to cover his expenses. While he was imprisoned in Rome, the Philippians sent a substantial gift to sustain his ministry and express their love. They recognized a shared responsibility for Paul and for the gospel work entrusted to him.
Because Paul uses this same word family when he speaks of communion with the Holy Spirit, we can hear another dimension in 2 Corinthians 13:14: “The responsibility of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
Just as the Spirit desires to be your Partner, He also desires to take great responsibility for you in this world.
If God has called you to do something, He will provide what you need. Your assignment may not require leaving your career for vocational ministry. It may be to follow Jesus faithfully, care for your family, do your work with integrity, serve your community, or believe for healing and restoration. Whatever the assignment, the Holy Spirit wants to help you carry it out.
Sometimes I pray a very deep prayer that borders on frustration: “God, this is Your problem!” That may sound irreverent, but it is often an honest act of faith. If God asked us to do something and promised to take responsibility, we can say, “Lord, You see this situation. You know what is happening. Will You help?” That is not unbelief. It is humility.
God knows our frame and remembers that we are dust (Psalm 103:14). He knows our weakness yet loves us. Degrees, titles, teaching experience, and accomplishments do not change our basic standing before Him. I am a son who kept saying yes along the way. No pastor or church has perfect theology or gets everything right. We live humbly and pray, “God, You asked us to do this. You promised to take responsibility. We need Your help.”
Parents and grandparents understand this prayer. We can read every book on raising children and watch every helpful video, but eventually the rubber meets the road: these are our children, and we are trying to guide them. We need to ask, “Holy Spirit, give me insight. Show me what to do.” The same holds true in marriage, business, ministry, health, and every other part of life.
If we insist on doing everything alone, the Holy Spirit will allow us to try. But when we open our hearts to Him, He takes a more active role. This begins with spending time with Him, learning what pleases and what grieves Him, and becoming familiar with His voice. The Holy Spirit wants to fellowship and partner with us as a close friend and trusted partner in the same enterprise. We are part of the family business—the kingdom of God—and the Holy Spirit wants to be our closest Friend.
Jesus likened the Holy Spirit to living water (John 7:37–39). We cannot live physically without water, and we cannot live the Christian life as God intends without the Spirit’s presence. If you are thirsty for Him—for yourself, your family, your church, or your city—He wants to fill you.
“For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring” (Isaiah 44:3 NKJV).
Partnership for Revival
What would happen if believers throughout a city embraced this partnership? Revival is a matter of love and family. To revive is to bring life back to what has died or is close to dying. But we should not wait until the church is desperate before believing God to move.
Revival begins with love for the Lord and a desire to spend time with Him. Someone once said that if you want revival, draw a circle around yourself and pray, “Lord, let it begin inside this circle.” It must begin with each of us: “Lord, I want more of You. I want to yield more fully to You.” From there, it becomes a loving relationship with one another—a shared partnership and responsibility among God’s people.
Peter had to signal the other boats when the catch became too large. One or two people praying for a move of God is wonderful, but imagine believers in churches throughout Tucson spiritually linking arms and asking God to move. We are asking for the lost to be convicted and converted, for souls to be saved, for families to be restored, for gangs to disappear, and for drugs and violence to subside. Imagine churches all across the city filled to capacity—not for our reputation, but because tens of thousands of people are coming to Christ. That would be a good problem, like the miraculous catch that required every available boat.
After the Lord asked me to plant a church here, I argued that Tucson already had enough churches. The Lord replied, “No, there are not enough churches in this city.” If twenty-five thousand, fifty thousand, or even one hundred thousand people came to Christ in a metropolitan area of roughly a million, every healthy church would need multiple services.
This vision transcends denominational and political differences. We must set aside petty disputes and return to Christ and Christ alone. I want to see revival in Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopal, Anglican, Baptist, Pentecostal, and every other Christ-centered church. God is an equal-opportunity revivalist!
Years ago, we took a youth group to Brazil and visited a large Catholic church experiencing revival. More than a thousand young people were on fire for God. The gathering was loud, joyful, and centered on Jesus. A young man in the parish approached the priest, saying he believed God wanted to do something among Catholic youth. He asked permission to hold a service with worship, prayer, praise, and teaching. The priest said yes, and God began to move. We saw young people come to Christ, children touched and healed, and powerful miracles.
Whatever objections people might raise about tradition, my answer is simple: look to Jesus. I even bless those nuns who once frightened me with their rulers! They were doing the best they knew how.
Partnership with the Holy Spirit creates room for this kind of kingdom fruit. He forms Christ’s character in us through the fruit of the Spirit, empowers us through the gifts of the Spirit, and joins our lives with other believers so the harvest can be gathered.
Is Anything Too Hard for the Lord
Begin today by cultivating a life of daily communion with the Greater One within you. Let Him become all He desires to be in your life—your source of wisdom, power, comfort, and strength. Let Him lead you into the victory and fruitfulness He has prepared.
What promise are you waiting for? Do you believe God wants to partner with you and assume responsibility for what He has promised?
Abraham and Sarah waited twenty-five years for the promised son. When the promise seemed humanly impossible, the Lord asked, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14 NKJV). Then, exactly as promised, “The Lord visited Sarah as He had said” (Genesis 21:1 NKJV).
This is more than history; it is theology for everyone waiting on God. Promises reveal whether we rely on His strength or our own. Abraham and Sarah’s future was not rooted in their natural ability but in El Shaddai, God Almighty (Genesis 17:1).
The quiet moments of God’s presence matter here. People often look only for spectacular miracles, yet some of God’s deepest healing comes through quiet peace as He touches and refreshes fractured nerves and busy minds. He brings healing where it is needed and restoration where it is needed. We are not alone. The Holy Spirit is our Friend, Helper, Advocate, and Partner, the One who takes responsibility for helping us fulfill what God has asked us to do.
Let us pray:
Holy Spirit, thank You for being my Friend, Helper, and Partner, and for taking responsibility for me. I need Your friendship and partnership. Forgive me for the times I have failed to fellowship with You.
From this day forward, I choose to commune with You and consult You before I make decisions or take steps. Fill me afresh, and let me know the joy of Your fellowship.
Move in my life, my family, my work, my church, and my city. Save the lost, restore families, heal the hurting, and bless the work of our hands. Increase Your presence in our lives. Let the peace of Christ and the communion of the Holy Spirit rest upon us.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
