Why do we often think that apostles should be in front of a crowd? Why do we expect the life of an apostle to be publicly notable? Is it because Paul said that apostles would be first?
And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles…
1 Corinthians 12:28
Remember Jesus had to correct the twelve apostles for trying to be first.
“What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
Mark 9:33-35
Servants ensure the success of others: they underpin, undergird and arrange, so the life of others prosper.
When a foundation is put in place for a building, it always goes in first; yet this work remains hidden, for the visible part of the building covers it up.