For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles. But though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been throughly made manifest among you in all things. Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely? I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service. And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself. 2 Corinthians 11:5-9

How do we define a successful Church? Today many people try to run the “Church” as a business. They define success by the number of people in the building or the size of the building. They use marketing strategies to lure people into the building, they run all kinds of programs to keep people entertained. But by doing all this , they are created a carnal minded Church that doesn’t lead anyone to Christ

Many false prophets also elevate themselves instead of Christ , they act like they are “rock stars” rather than Pastors. They publish their name everywhere in lights, writing self help books, living in mansions, driving fancy cars, and the carnally minded Christian eats it up. They want to follow a big celebrity “Pastor” 

The Apostle Paul addressed this with the Church of Corinth, he said “For I suppose I am not inferior to the most eminent apostles, even if I’m untrained in speech, yet not in knowledge” Sadly Paul has to justify himself for being in the position he’s in, he acknowledges he might not be the best preacher however he has great knowledge of the Word of God, as we know Paul was a Pharisee and also learned from Christ personally. However the false Christians of this Church don’t care about Paul’s wisdom, they want a celebrity Pastor, someone who is going to tickle their ears with slick talking and sugar coated messages

I want to take this moment to ask you, do you appreciate your Pastor? Do you understand the time and dedication your Pastor commits to you and your Church? Have you expressed your appreciation to your Pastor lately? The words of encouragement by the Church can make a great difference. Are you praying for your Pastor? Nobody understands the stress and pressure your Pastor is under, unless you walked in their shoes

The Apostle Paul goes on “Did I commit a sin by humbling myself that you might be exalted, I preached the gospel of God free of charge?” This Church didn’t even want to compensate Paul so he preached for free. This is a sin among the Church , you must be willing to support your Church, including the Pastor, as the Bible says “Don’t muzzle an ox while its treading out the grain” and “The worker deserves his wages” (1 Tim. 5:18, Matthew 10:10, , 1 Cor. 9:9) Paul had to be supported by other Churches to serve this Church, this shows you the heart condition of the Church

Notice the humility of Paul, remember who is an Apostle of Jesus Christ, “I kept myself from being burdensome to you” The Pastor often has to endure humility for the greater good of the Church, understand that! If you truly want to serve The Lord, ask your Pastor “How can I help you”? “What can I do in the Church “? 

A successful Church will have the Holy Spirit leading and guiding the congregation to serve The Lord and not ourselves! Amen!