What Does Success Look Like To You?

As Christians, we are not exempted to help fulfill the Great Commission. Jesus commanded His disciples and all the believers to go and make disciples of all the nations. 

The Great Commission:

Matthew 28:  "18 Then Jesus came up and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Now, we want to experience success in all that we do as we pursue His calling for us to go and make disciples. Isn't it?

But how do we really view success in life and ministry? 

Is it having a beautiful family of our own? No worries, no regrets? Having all our needs and wants met? 

Is it about a flourishing personal ministry? 

What does the bible say about success? 

In the book of Joshua chapter 1, it says, "5 No one will be able to resist you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not abandon you or leave you alone. 6 Be strong and brave! You must lead these people in the conquest of this land that I solemnly promised their ancestors I would hand over to them. 7 Make sure you are very strong and brave! Carefully obey all the law my servant Moses charged you to keep! Do not swerve from it to the right or to the left, so that you may be successful in all you do. 8 This law scroll must not leave your lips! You must memorize it day and night so you can carefully obey all that is written in it. Then you will prosper and be successful. 

Success is OBEDIENCE in God! 

In John 15, it is written, "1 "I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. 2 He takes away every branch that does not bear fruit in me. He prunes every branch that bears fruit so that it will bear more fruit. 3 You are clean already because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. 5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me - and I in him - bears much fruit, because apart from me you can accomplish nothing."

Success is ABIDING in Christ.

As we obey God, we are encouraged to abide in Christ for apart from Him, we are nothing. As we abide in Him, He will enable us to bear much, much fruit. Fruits that will last for eternity. 

What are these fruits?

1. Internal Fruit:  Fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5: 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

2. External Fruit: Ministry Fruitfulness (multiplying disciples)

John 15: 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me - and I in him - bears much fruit, because apart from me you can accomplish nothing.

God gives us the power for life & ministry. When Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples, He promised to be with us. Our part is to OBEY Him and to ABIDE (remain) in Christ. God also promised that we will bear much fruit if we remain in Him. We simply have to step out in faith and trust Him. It is His responsibility to produce fruits out of our obedience.

So because He commanded us to go and make disciples, our response should be to simply take the initiative to share Christ to others in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God. We should likewise take the initiative to follow up new believers for further involvement to know Christ and to make Him known to others so that they too can participate in His work of helping to fulfill the Great Commission. Thus, spiritual multiplication will take place. "And entrust what you heard me say in the presence of many others as witnesses to faithful people who will be competent to teach others as well. -2 Timothy 2:2"

Let's persevere. Let's not give up even when at times it seems that nothing is happening in our personal ministry. It requires focus, discipline & hard work like a soldier, an athlete and a farmer.  

2Tim 2 says it all, " 3 Take your share of suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one in military service gets entangled in matters of everyday life; otherwise he will not please the one who recruited him. 5 Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he will not be crowned as the winner unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The farmer who works hard ought to have the first share of the crops."

 

Success is WALKING in the Spirit

We cannot do this on our own effort. We need to acknowledge His power available for us. God gives us a lot of power through the Holy Spirit. If we stay filled. How? http://www.cru.org/training-and-growth/classics/transferable-concepts/be-filled-with-the-holy-spirit/04-what-does-it-mean-to-be-filled.htm

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth." -Acts 1:8

What are some examples you have seen of God providing supernatural power?

I had this unforgettable witnessing experience. I was attending a funeral service of a college classmate. Her relative approached me and asked if I could pray prayer number 4

for the dead. It was against my conviction but I didn't had the courage to say no too. So I asked her, "May I see the flow of your program?" I was literally trembling because I knew that the Holy Spirit was prompting me to share the gospel to those who were attending the funeral service. I felt a huge challenge. I was so uncomfortable. People of different ages were there. Wealthy. Simple. Young. Old. Yet, the Spirit's prompting was clear. People are lost without Christ. This was a great opportunity: Facing the reality of  death and our assurance to be with God in eternity. By faith, I asked God to fill me with the Holy Spirit once again, to direct my life and use me - especially that night to share His message. Without hesitation, I asked the woman who approached me for prayer for the dead. I asked her of the flow of the program. And yes, God gave me wisdom on how to handle the situation. I saw a Testimony part on the program and so, I volunteered to take that part instead of prayer for the dead. I was glad they agreed with me. And here's what happened...

When it was my turn to share, I started by saying, "_______ was my classmate in college. I'm sure she is now enjoying in God's presence. You know why? She asked me one time, 'Nalds, what are you sharing with some students. Can you share it with me?' I shared with her about the Four Spiritual Laws."

To make this long story short, I was able to transition that testimony to gospel presentation from 1 John 5: "11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 The one who has the Son has this eternal life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have this eternal life."

I led them to a prayer to receive Christ in their lives to be their Lord and Savior by faith. 

It was a beautiful experience with God. What a beautiful sight to behold a crowd bowing their heads, praying to Jesus to be the God of their lives.

What about you? What are some examples you have seen of God providing supernatural power as we obey God, abide in Christ and walk in the Spirit? 

This is SUCCESS! Obeying God. Abiding in Christ. Walking in the Spirit.