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I recently had a review of my ministry with a denominational leader. At the end of our time together I said “so basically you’re saying I’m doing ok. Thank you – that’s a real encouragement. I don’t hear that very often.”

I wonder if you can empathise with that? Perhaps you’ve been labouring away for a long time without much apparent fruit. Perhaps you don’t receive much positive feedback (and whether or not you receive criticism, positive feedback is always needed as well.) Perhaps you often hear “this is what you should do” or “here’s an idea for greater success”, but rarely “I honour you for your labour.”

Well here we go. You’re doing ok – in fact, you’re doing more than ok. You’re doing great. And I honour you for your labour. And God honours you for your labour – after all, God inspired these words to be written:

The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honour, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.

1 Timothy 5:17 (NIV)

Hopefully your church family also honour you for your labour, but if they don’t – you’re still worthy of it.

Now wait a minute you might say – you don’t even know me. How can you say I’m doing ok? How can you say I’m worthy of honour? I’ll admit that I’m making certain assumptions, but the fact that you’re reading this blog means I’m reasonably justified in making those assumptions. So here are 6 reasons why you’re doing ok and you’re worthy of honour:

1, You’re still a Christian

This is the most important of all. You’re still walking with Jesus, still seeking to get to know him better day by day through his Word and by his Spirit living in you. You’re one day closer to meeting him face to face and having all your questions answered and discovering the reality that these ‘light and momentary troubles’ do not compare to the glory which is to be revealed (2 Corinthians 4:17). You’re discovering that all God’s power is involved in keeping you Christian (Colossians 1:11) – and he’s doing it in you. And you can be confident that he will keep doing it in you until the end (Philippians 1:6). All of this is a daily miracle that God is working in your life – praise be to him!

2, You’re still in Christian ministry

This is another thing we so easily overlook – you’re still going! Sadly the drop out rate from Christian ministry is enormous (and I have no doubt that discouragement is one of the major causes). You may not have seen much visible fruit recently – but actually, you are the visible fruit! Every sermon preached, every bible study led, every church meeting chaired, every pastoral visit performed is testament to God’s work in your life. You’re doing ok!

3, You’re being made more like Christ

I’ve been in my current role for 11 years. It’s taken me all that time to begin to realise that, whilst God has used those 11 years to bless others, he’s used them much more to bless and work in me. And boy did I need working on! 11 years ago I was proud, self-reliant, driven by the need for worldly success… the list goes on. 11 years later I’m slightly more humble, slightly more God-dependent, slightly more focused on the fruit that he bears in and through me – though I’m very aware that I have a long way to go. God has a personal development plan for each one of us – and you can be sure that you’re being made more like Christ. So you’re doing ok.

4, You’re perfect and successful in Christ

Did you know that you’re perfect? And did you know that you’re perfectly successful already? It’s true. Not because you are perfect and successful in yourself; but because through faith you are in Christ, united to him, one with him in his resurrection and clothed in his righteousness. That means that when Christ won his great victory over the devil, you were in him (Colossians 2:13-15). It means that when God looks at you he sees perfection (2 Corinthians 5:21). It means that as Christ perfectly and with 100% success rules over his world, even now – you are enthroned with him (Ephesians 2:6). 

Any ‘success’ you might have in your earthly ministry (whatever ‘success’ is) is quite insignificant in comparison to that wouldn’t you say?

5, You’re being faithful to your task. You’re persevering.

Out of all the points, this is the one where I’m making an assumption, that you’re being faithful to your task and persevering in it. What is the task? It’s set out fairly clearly for us in 2 Timothy 4:2-5:

Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

2 Timothy 4:2-5 (NIV)

Notice Paul’s assumption that there will be times when we minister ‘out of season’ – that is, when the fruit isn’t obvious to see.

6, The fruit is up to God

Why do I get discouraged when my ministry seems to be unfruitful, and encouraged when it seems to be fruitful? Is it just a little bit because I believe the fruit depends on me? But it doesn’t! We’re all very familiar with the parable of the sower aren’t we. But do we really believe it? The seed has the power, not the sower. And the fruitfulness depends on the seed and the soils.  (And by the way – Jesus tells us that if we remain in him we will bear fruit (John 15:1-8) – but I think he has a much broader definition of fruit than we often do – and would include everything in points 1 to 5 above.)

So there we go – 6 reasons why you’re doing ok – more than ok. Six reasons why you’re actually doing great. Six reasons why I honour you, and why we pastors should honour each other. Praise God for his work in you and through you. Be encouraged.