Does God want you to be effective in ministry?

If I succeed in ministry so that others notice, it is possible for me to WRONGLY take the credit. If I am not effective on this side of eternity but I am His, what does this mean?

First we must define “effective”

In this sense, I am speaking of building ministry and leading people to Christ.
This next passage is from Hebrews 11. Right after the “Hall of faith” which basically names what many people would consider God’s All Star team. Hebrews basically names off the people and then says “here is the awesome stuff they did” and then, out of nowhere….

36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated-- 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. 39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:33-40).

From this we can draw that not all people who give everything to God have super effective ministries. If these guys led an innovation conference it would have been pretty short. “Love God, Love People, Die His.” The end.

I feel like when everyone goes into ministry they want to lead a church of a 1000+. Everyone wants to be Driscoll. I do. Just being honest. What if that’s not what God wants for me. What if that’s not what God wants for you.

God doesn’t want YOU to be effective. He wants you to be His.
If anyone is effective it is God. God builds ministry. God leads people to Jesus.

Not you or me.

Here comes the hard question. Why am I in ministry? Why are you doing with your life, what you’re doing with your life? To be effective or His?

“Why are we so convinced a bigger audience is simply common sense to have? Maybe success is measured best by nothing less than our obedience.” – Jimmy Needham.