How's Your Seal Looking?

I was reading the other morning during my devotional time and came across 1 Corinthians 9:2, “…For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord”. It reminded me of the answer to the question, “How do you know if you’re a leader?” If people are following you, you are the leader. If no one is following you, you’re just on a walk.

I’ve been a part of leadership circles in the past where titles were very important. It seemed that everyone had an official title: Apostle, Prophetess, Bishop, etc. I don’t have a problem with giving respect to anyone who occupies a position of authority or leadership. I do think that we have to be careful not to hang a title without that person producing the fruit of the position. The Bible instructs that deacons, for example, should first be tested (1 Timothy 3:10).

When Paul was speaking to the Corinthian church, he was saying that whatever they were at this point, they were a reflection of his apostleship. I’ve been told that once a pastor has been at the same church for five years, the church is a reflection of his leadership. The first couple of years, he can blame the problems on the former guy. But after the five year mark, it’s all him baby!

Another word for seal is certification. Restaurants are given certification grades by the department of health as to the cleanliness of the facility, quality of the food served, etc. A restaurant may receive a grade of A, B, or C. They may even be required to close until the problems are addressed. If someone were to view the fruit of your leadership and ministry at this point, what seal or certification would you receive?