– but they are invaluable
“What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” — 1 Corinthians 3:5–7
The humility in those words, the clarity of purpose—and the bold assertion. Paul, a man who carried the gospel to the ends of the earth, who suffered greatly for the sake of Christ, who wrote letters that would shape the faith of millions—he did not see himself as indispensable.
Paul saw himself as a servant, a planter, a waterer. But the growth? That was God’s work alone, and right there lies the key to a healthy self-esteem for any ministry: understanding that we are supporters, helpful additions, but never the source of power—the power socket, never the centre of the story.
When a prophetic ministry begins to see itself as indispensable, it loses its way. Pride creeps in, subtle and deceptive. The focus shifts from glorifying God to preserving the ministry itself, not fully grasping that Christ’s work does not depend on us—it never has. In John 15:5, Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” Nothing. That’s a humbling word, but it’s also liberating. We are not called to bear the weight of the world on our shoulders; we are called to abide in Christ, to remain connected to the vine, and to let His life flow through us.
A healthy self-esteem in ministry comes from knowing our place—that we are not the vine; we are the branches. We are not the builder; we are the tools in the Builder’s hands. In Ephesians 2:10, Paul reminds us, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” That’s important—we are His workmanship. The good works we do are not our own invention; they were actually prepared for us by God Himself. Our role is to walk in them, to be faithful, to be obedient. But the glory… that belongs to Him alone.
Jesus knowingly encourages us in Luke 17:10: “So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’” Unworthy servants—that’s who we are, and yet, what a privilege it is to serve the King of kings, to be part of His grand story, to play even the smallest role in His redemptive work.
Prophetic ministries, although of extreme value and encouragement to the church, are not indispensable – but they are invaluable; not the source, but a vessel.