Shalom! Greetings to our partners who love NCTC and support our ministry with prayer and donations.

In this letter, I want to share the concept of partnership, the mission God has entrusted to our ministry, and the grace you share in this ministry through Apostle Paul's letter to the church in Philippians.

Philippians 1 (NKJV)

3. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,

4. always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy,

5. for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now,

6. being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

7. just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.

“you all are partakers with me of grace.” Looking at verse 7, we see that Paul says that the Philippian church was a partaker of the grace of Paul's ministry (defending and confirming the gospel).

1) Why the Philippian church was a partaker of this grace,

2) Let’s reflect on what Paul's grace is.

To get some background on why the Philippian church is a partaker of this grace, let's go to Philippians Chapter 4.

Philippians 4 (NKJV)

10. But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity.

14.Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress.

15.Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only.

16.For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities.

In chapter 4, verses 15-16, it says that the Philippian church was the only church to partner with Paul materially in the early days of the gospel. In other words, the Philippian church was the only church to partner materially in Paul's ministry (preaching the gospel) from the very beginning, and it was the church that consistently supported Paul's ministry even when he was in other parts of the world.

That's right. The book of Philippians is actually a partner letter from the heart of Paul to his partners who were partnering with him materially, and it's in this context that the verse we use a lot in relation to finances, Philippians 4:19, comes out.

17.Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.

18.Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.

19.And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

In response to the Philippian church's material support of Paul, Paul said that he

1) Sought the fruit that would abound to their account.

2) Called it a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice well pleasing to God.

3) Believed that God shall supply all their needs.

If we read chapter 1 again with an understanding of the concept of partnership that the Philippian church had with Paul, we can see more clearly the Holy Spirit’s message through Paul's heart toward his partners.

5. for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now,

6. being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

7. just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.

Paul is telling his material partners (the Philippian church members) that they are partakers of his grace (the grace that is at work in Paul's ministry and life) in the defense and confirmation of his gospel.

In other words, because their material was used in Paul's evangelistic ministry, we see Paul proclaiming that they were 1) partners with Paul in the work of evangelism, and therefore 2) partakers as well as Paul in the rewards that resulted from that work, and 3) partakers of Apostle Paul’s grace (my grace: the anointing of Paul's ministry) that was at work in Paul's life and ministry.

Hallelujah! So let's summarize what partnership does in three ways.

1) The work of the ministry

2) The rewards for the work of the ministry

3) The ministry anointings

Speaking of those who did not go with David to war and stayed by his side, we find in 1 Samuel 30 that David also said that the spoils would be divided equally, and that the share of those who fight and those who stay would be the same.

(1 Sam 30:24-25) 24 For who will heed you in this matter? But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike.” 25 So it was, from that day forward; he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.

So, based on this biblical concept of partnership, your financial support of NCTC brings the following results.

1) You are equally participating in the work of the NCTC ministry

2) You are participating in the rewards (harvest and transformation of souls) of the work of NCTC Ministry. (Pastor John and Paula)

3) You are participating in the anointing that flows through the ministry of NCTC – the grace(anointing) that is working in Pastor John and Paula.

Dear Partners! The message of the New Creation revelation that I proclaim and teach in this ministry is the message that transformed me 14 years ago, and it is a message that is timeless and has the power to change not only me, but many others. It is the very essence of the gospel that Paul preached and I believe this is the climax revelation given to the church of Jesus Christ.

After I immigrated to the United States from Korea six years ago, the Lord strongly spoke to me to study English in order to proclaim this gospel to the whole world. For me, who struggled to order food in English when I first came to the U.S., the past six years have been training in perseverance as I've worked on my English skills while working in the business world and doing ministry together.

However, as a result of persevering, applying the Word to myself, and planting seeds faithfully, we are now slowly seeing the field of ministry unfold and God opening doors.

As our English ministry is now in full swing, we thank you for believing in the mission God has entrusted to us and for partnering with us in prayer and substance!

I am so grateful to God for the ministry grace He has given to my wife and I to be used as God's channel to see so many lives transformed, and I consider it a rare privilege and a holy responsibility as a steward to not let this grace go to waste. And as God continues to open doors and I see the work of ministry unfolding with ever-increasing impact to people across the United States and around the world, I trust that God continues to connect me with people who will join me in this vision because this is not something I can do alone.

(Philippians 4:17) Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.

My heart's longing is to see fruitfulness in the accounts of our partners who join us in this vision. That's why I wanted to share in this letter what partnership brings to those of you who trust us and partner with us with your resources and prayers. You are the ones who share in the grace and anointing of our ministry as we proclaim and affirm the gospel of Christ, the new creation revelation!

Therefore, we want to continue to communicate with our partners about what NCTC ministry is doing, what the fruit of our ministry is, and what the anointing is that flows through our ministry. At the same time, we also want to let you know that as the fruit of our ministry is increasing, your account books are overflowing with the same fruit.

In this context, Paul's prayer in Philippians 1:9-11 is an example of prayer for ministry partners (those who had served Paul's ministry with their substance) and we want to close this letter with this prayer for you.

8. For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.

9. And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,

10.that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,

11.being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

“Thank you, Heavenly Father. In the heart of Jesus Christ,

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all of our partners in ministry.

We ask that your love may grow ever more abundant in knowledge and in all judgment.

May you continue to prove your excellence and be faithful and steadfast until the day of Christ.

May the lives of all partners be filled with the fruit of righteousness in Jesus Christ.

May your lives be to the glory and praise of God.

We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.”

This is how Paula and I will pray for you.

Pastor John Kyusong Cho and Paula Kim on September 5, 2024