Paul, The Apostle to the Gentiles - as he called himself, the author attributed to 13 of the 27 books in the New Testament section of the Bible, a most passionate (and educated) preacher and arguably the most influential in shaping the modern church, said....
"What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Just servants through whom you believed [in Christ], even as the Lord appointed to each his task."1 Corinthians 3:5 AMP .
Success is defined in different ways by different people and means different things in different professions. In many vocations, success is seen as the visible attainment of your goals, growth of your influence, followers, power or wealth. Ministry (service) in God's kingdom is a unique vocation in that is Spiritual. For this reason, it cannot be evaluated by earthly standards, it's success can only be measured by God's standards. For any minister, I believe 1Corinthians 3 is a must study, because in this profession, a win in the eyes of men, can be a failure in the eyes of God and vice versa. The book of Kings is filled with examples of this. Please note, this article is not meant to depress, rather, it is, in the words of Jesus, make us “... first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?" Luke 14:28 The reality is that if true Christian discipleship demands all, a true life of Christian service will demand more! " In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples." Luke 14: 33 NIV Are there earthly perks? A few: "In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.: 1 Corinthians 9:14 NIV One embarking on this vocation must however, be settled in his spirit to the point of acknowledgment that ... "... when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’ ”Luke 17:10 NIV (Jesus Christ) In ministry, our victory is to be able to say we have done our duty, willingly, with a perfect heart! We have fulfilled the assignment that was given to us specifically, not according to our own desires, but according to the instructions of He that sent us. The fame, the influence, the prestige, the wealth might be tools or by-products of our service, but they are never our success.
Our success is: GOD was able to work all his will through our lives to the profit of others. Glory to Jesus! Amen
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7 NIV