Preach it

2 Timothy 4:2-5

Preach the word, be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Take note of the fact that Paul said nothing about how people would respond. He did not say anything about the size of Timothy's church, or how much money they received, or how influential it was. Paul did not tell Timothy that the world would respect, revere, or even accept him, in fact Paul's emphasis was on commitment, not success or acceptance.

In many churches we see them infatuated with standards of success, rather than fruits of righteousness. We need to be focused on growing to be more like Christ rather than how many people go to our church, or how much money the church takes in. We need our focus to be on God rather than success. We should be focused on our commitment to Christ and our ministry rather than the success, or popularity of our ministry.