Our world is a results driven place where one’s value is measured by the outcome of their efforts. While that is fine if you are running a business or sports franchise, but sadly this thinking has so penetrated the church. And by permitting this, we have become hypocrites. Repeatedly church leaders claim that the numbers don’t matter, but at the same time it is really the only way we measure if a church or pastor is “killing it”. While it isn’t necessarily wrong to celebrate the numerical growth of a church, we must also consider the various factors that can contribute to such growth. We must also remember that not all of those factors are positive or even biblical. Some of these include the compromise of Scripture, the catering to culture norms, and the use of the world’s marketing strategies. This has led many ministers, including myself, to be tempted to make such compromises for the sake of numbers. Also it has led many pastors to face issues of depression and discouragement to the point they desire to give up because maybe they just don’t have what it takes, or sadder yet, feel they may not be called.

This week I “came across” the passage where God is sending Ezekiel to his own people. He is not sending Ezekiel on a mission’s trip or some cross-cultural ministry assignment. He tells Ezekiel that the people are hardheaded and hardhearted. God warns him the people won’t listen to his message, because they also don’t listen to God either. He then tells Ezekiel He will make him as hardheaded as the people, basically so Ezekiel will not give up.

This chapter really spoke to me in the sense of what success is in ministry. Since we claim to believe that God is the One who calls, defines the task, choses where we go, and gives us the message to proclaim, why do we also not truly believe that God is also the one responsible for the results? And if we say we do believe that, how do we ever evaluate “success” by the results?

From Ezekiel, I believe we have the answer… faithfulness! Are we faithful to what God has asked us to do? Faithful to where He has placed us? Faithful to the message He has given us? If we can answer all these questions “yes”, then why do we measure “success” by the outcome? God has entrusted some to plant, some to water, but only He can bring growth, right? We say that. We preach that. But we don’t evaluate others or ourselves by that, which makes us hypocrites. May God forgive us all for proclaiming one thing then practicing another. May He forgive me for ever evaluating myself by a standard that He does not. May I simply ask myself each day, “Am I faithful to my call God gave me? Am I faithful to the place where God has placed me? Am I faithful (in study, proclamation, and lifestyle) to the message God gave me?” If so, then in God’s eyes I am successful… and when we stand before Him isn’t that all that really matters?