Grace Notes: What is success?

Dear Friends,

I guess it’s fair to say that I’m a pretty normal guy. I want to be successful on the different “fronts” of my life: home, work, community, etc. Like most, I have lots of ideas on what makes me successful. Some of these ideas are personal views; others are thrust upon me by popular culture, church culture and ministry culture.

I desire success because I want to feel good about my life. I want to be successful so my wife, kids, and parents can be proud of what I do and how I do it. I want to be successful because my life is a gift from God and I desire to steward my opportunities, education, talents, and health wisely. I also do sincerely want to hear my Father say, “Well done, Tim. You’ve been faithful.”

At the same time, I want to be successful because I want to be seen as “worthy” or at least “adequate” by my superiors and peers. I want to be successful because I don’t want to be embarrassed that my child is struggling in some way, that I am personally in a dry place, or that my church isn’t growing like the other one in my town or in my denomination.

Success is a curious thing. Defining it well or with the right criteria can be complicated. In seeking to be successful, I may at any time be wrestling with a combination of my own noble and selfish motives being both altruistic and petty at the same time. I can want what is right for the wrong reasons or what is less than the best with the best of intentions. Truly, it can be difficult to know the state of one’s own heart.

Compounding this issue of “success” is the Bible. As with most everything in the Kingdom of God, success is presented in a manner that is counter to all that is humanly intuitive. Kingdom success is not only dissimilar to my inclinations; it is out rightly averse to the cultural notions of being on top. Because of this, choosing to act and react in harmony with the leading of the Holy Spirit and the teaching of the Word regarding success always leaves me feeling a mixture of non-complimentary emotions.

Let me give you my most recent example. Nearly seven years to the day after theBridge (the church I pastor) was launched as a church plant from New Life Foursquare in Frederick, MD, Frederick County Foursquare Church was publically launched from us to Clearbrook, VA (www.wherehopelives.org). About 25 of our own folks, to include the assistant pastor, our Children’s Ministry Director, and some of the finest servants we were privileged to lead, left our church “home” to create new “home” for others.

By some measures, this is a sign of success. By others, it is not. While in my heart I know that planting another church is ultimately the strongest and effective way to reach and disciple those without Jesus, my “success-meter” gives mixed feedback. I am elated and annoyed. I feel satisfied and sad. I am both joyous and lonely. To cliché my mental state, the whole experience is “bittersweet.”

Gratefully, two passages of Scripture have buoyed my heart and mind recently. The first is spoken by John the Baptist when some unhappy followers came and pointed out the success of Jesus’ ministry and the waning of His own. John, without the slightest hesitation, fully rejoiced in the advance of the Kingdom, despite how his “success” may have appeared to onlookers. He expresses his joy in the ministry of the Lord and then speaks words that are health and life to me millennia after they were uttered. John says, “He (Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30 ESV)

Can success be anymore purely defined than in those seven words? I do not think so. Christ must be exalted more and more; and, if I long to see His glory expand, I must defer, deflect, and direct personal rays of glory own toward Him. Success in ministry, or in life for that matter, ultimately comes from finding new and better ways to decrease. And while my stomach is still in knots at the “sowing” of my friends into new fields, I sincerely pray that this is just one of thousands more times where I can “decrease” for love and honor of my Lord.

Second, just two chapters later, Jesus speaks to the religious leaders of Israel and says seven other empowering words. In talking about how and what He was doing on earth, Jesus says “I do not receive glory from people.” (John 5:41 ESV) This statement seems simple enough, but what a declaration! Jesus was affirming that the glory and acceptance He wanted would come from the Father…alone. In a sentence, Jesus identified Who would define “success” for His life and ministry – and it wasn’t any person on earth!

At the end of my life, the opinion of only One voice will matter in determining the success of a life. “What does Abba think?” should be the prayer on my lips continuously as I try contend with personal, cultural, and religious forces that would seek to define my “worth” for me.

The pull to succeed is unlikely to vanish completely. I am a work in progress being systematically rewired by the Holy Spirit to see life through spiritual not earthly eyes; yet, these two gems from the book of John bring a fresh reminder of the Kingdom’s perspective on our lives. So for now, I’ll keep wrestling with competing emotions and letting the grace and acceptance of God pin me.

-Tim