Every Christian is called to successfully minister Jesus to this world and to the church.
To that end all of us, especially Christian leaders, should understand the difference between worldly and spiritual success.

Worldly success consists of the things highly valued in this present social order, such as power, position, wealth and fame. Prideful and selfish in spirit, it seeks popularity, financial increase, numerical growth, recognition and reputation. It is a crass outward show, not a noble inward state; a work of fleshly ability, not of the Spirits grace and power. Its products are visible, never spiritual. Its goals are immediate, never eternal. It focuses on this world, never the next.
Utterly ignoring the Bibles revelation of Gods desires, plans, methods and standards, worldly success is measured solely by human standards.

Too often Christians, churches and ministers judge success by these worldly standards instead of setting their sights on spiritual success.

Spiritual success focuses on receiving and retaining Gods favor.
It is measured by biblical, not popular, standards.
Succinctly, its goal is fulfilling Gods will.
To spiritually minded Christians, success is fully being and fully doing Gods will-being all He wants us to be and doing everything He charges us to do in life.
The components of spiritual success are simple things such as faithfulness, truthfulness, steadfastness in adversity and humility in victory.
These things are motivated by love for God and His people, never pride.
They move us to serve others for Christ’s sake, not use them for selfish ends. They prompt us to seek eternal rewards, not those of this passing world.
Spiritual success seeks to build permanent character in Gods people, not personal kingdoms in a passing world.
It covets more of the Spirit, not more mammon.
It dreams not of being blessed but of being a blessing.
Spiritual success occurs whenever God is honored. His truth is proclaimed, and His will is done in individuals, churches and ministries, irrespective of all other worldly measures of success.

The Apostle Paul was a spiritual success.
Yet when Paul’s execution day drew near in Rome, his life was a total failure, if measured by worldly standards.
He was unknown among the leaders of Roman high society.
He was not financially wealthy.
He was not politically influential.
He held no high office in any respected religious body. (The faith of Christianity was not legalized until 250 years after Paul’s execution.)
His achievements went unnoticed.
Though inspired and extensive, his writings were not acclaimed by the great philosophers and educators of the Greco-Roman world.
Though he planted many churches, he had not founded any great universities, libraries or religious institutions. Yet Paul’s last words to his prize student Timothy and to us, were not the sad concessions of failure, but the glad declarations of a successful soul.

Why?

He had fully seen and done Gods will.

Not tragically but triumphantly he wrote, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown [reward]…” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
And there is a reward laid up for you, too, if you follow Paul’s example.

Guard and nourish your faith, fight well your spiritual fight and finish the course of your calling.
Be a roaring spiritual success and have no fear of finding all of your efforts eaten by moths or covered in rust..

WOULD YOU PRAY FOR THOSE YOU LOVE

One of the greatest stories ever told is the narrative Jesus gave of the prodigal son.

It is the tale of the young man who asked for his inheritance prematurely, then ran off and wasted it all, in wild living.
(The word prodigal comes from the word for “wasted”).

Finally he comes to his senses and goes home to his fathers house.

This story is a picture of the emptiness of running from God.

It tells of the wayward coming home to God.

How wonderful is the statement that Jesus made revealing the awesome love of the father.
He was watching, waiting, and willing for his prodigal child to come home.
“So he got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran toward him, threw his arms around his neck and kissed him.” Luke 15:20

Maybe you have loved ones who have wandered far from home.
Perhaps you have grown weary in your heart, from the burden of worry as they live in the “hog pen” of the world.

You can know for certain that prodigals do come home in response to prayer.

If you truly love them, pray for them daily using the following model if you wish.

Lord please;
Bring them to a place of famine and need (Luke 15:14)
Create within them a holy hunger and homesickness (15:16-17)
Cause them to come to their senses (15:17)
Draw them home (15:18)
Give them the desire to receive the gift of repentance (15:18-21)
Give us welcoming grace (15:20)

Hold fast to the truth that God wants none to perish in a lost state, but for all to come home, and has already paid the fare for the voyage to His house. (John 3:16)