Ministry is our life, but when we come down to “assessing” that ministry, we run into a seemingly endless debate. 
Some will argue that what God asks of us is nothing more than to be “faithful”. Any accomplishment or fruit is ultimately His work. We should not focus on “success”, but on faithfully carrying out the work that God has called us to. Texts such as 1 Corinthians 4:2 “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” and 2 Timothy 2:2 “And these things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also” are offered to support this thought.
Others argue that God has called us to bear fruit for His glory. God entrusted us with a message, and desires that this message bear fruit in more disciples, more leaders, and more communities. Texts such as John 15:8 “By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples” are put forth as clearly teaching that our work needs to lead to something.
What about if both of these elements have flaws? I have always thought the simple answer was that you needed both in ministry. But, as I reflected more on this discussion, I realized there are questions that arise with each element.
For one, if faithfulness is your primary value, the hard question would be: what standard will you use to assess how you have used God’s gifts to you? Over and over, the Bible makes reference (through parable and straight up teaching) to the wise use or investment of God’s resources, and the subsequent “return” on those resources. Certainly, some of that “return” may not happen in your lifetime, but this is a legitimate question that arises.
If fruitfulness is your primary value, the hard question would be: at what moment does your “work” become an obstacle to the further expansion of God’s work? The emphasis in the Scriptures is making disciples who will make disciples; it’s a ‘giving away’ of our work and fruit. Yes, God wants us to bear fruit, but we must show ourselves as faithful “stewards” of what God has given to us, always moving out of the way, and giving away what He allows us to see as fruit.
Being “faithful” and “fruitful” requires that we be willing to address these hard questions.
Filed under: Faithfulness & Fruitfulness, Mission | 2 Comments »
William Still was pastor of the Gilcomston South Church in Aberdeen Scotland. He wrote the following which I think might have some relevance to our discussion of “faithfulness” and “fruitfulness”:
