On Father’s Day earlier this year, Dr. John Binkley was delighted to have the chance to speak to his son Ryan’s congregation at Create Church. This was part of the UnCommon series, which focuses on how to avoid “typical” relationship concerns by breathing life into them through The Lord’s Word. Therefore, Dr. Binkley centered his sermon on why you need fellowship between your friends, family, and with God, with aspects from his book, Character is King.
What does he mean by fellowship? Well, it is first important to distinguish that “fellowship” is not the same as “relationship.” Dr. Binkley had a relationship with his son Ryan the moment he was born, in the same way he had a relationship with his father. But fellowship requires effort, investment of time and diligence – that’s the foundation of a powerful bond.
Dr. John Binkley has this bond with Ryan through their shared values and goals. They both own and manage Generational Equity, one of North America’s leading middle-market M&A advisory firms, and their shared aim to grow the business helps forge their fellowship. It is the same in their relationship with God, as both are motivated through their faith to grow Generational Equity.
Dr. Binkley also had fellowship with his father, who began his eternal life in Heaven a decade ago. His father was a remarkable man: starting in poverty during the Great Depression, and losing his mother when he was ten, he became a naval aviator, a vocalist, an accomplished orator, an athlete and the Head of his Church. While Dr. Binkley knew he couldn’t match his father’s adeptness in these areas, they shared a strong fellowship and he took two important lessons from him:
- Love the truth
- Dream big
Finding Wisdom Through Fellowship With God
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6
Dr. John Binkley took both these lessons to heart. He actively sought out the truth, and thus sought out God. Because God is the truth, which is why He can never deny Himself. Through a diligent, powerful fellowship with The Lord, Dr. Binkley carries His spirit, meaning he has access to truths and mysteries of this world and the next. Fellowship with God gives you access to His wisdom.
Now, it is important to define what wisdom is:
- Knowledge is the acquisition of facts
- Understanding is the interpretation of facts
- Wisdom is the application of facts
Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. – Proverbs 3:13-3:17
Now, who wouldn’t want the things that wisdom gives you? God rewards those that seek Him, because He is the truth. This means when you walk with Him, you are walking with the truth, and that will always validate you. Through Dr. Binkley’s fellowship with God, he found the wisdom to pursue and achieve his goals, because The Lord gave him the tools to realize his purpose.
All that was required was diligence, faith and fellowship with God, which is something all can have, but few actually fulfill. So be uncommon, be different, be who you were meant to be. Continue to seek the truth and work every day to maintain fellowship with God, and you will be rewarded to achieve your goals. It happened for Dr. Binkley and Ryan, and it can happen for you too.
You can find further insights on how to discover and achieve your purpose through God in Character is King. This contains universal truths for The Lord’s eternal plan for you, and provides a roadmap for fulfilling this.
You can learn more on Dr. John Binkley on his ‘about’ page. For more information on Generational Equity, visit their website.
