50 Bible Verses about Ministry, Qualifications For

"It wasn't because you were more numerous than other people of the earth that the LORD committed himself to you and chose you. In fact, you were the least numerous of all the nations. But the LORD loved you and kept his oath that he made to your ancestors. The LORD brought you out with great power from slavery, from the control of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.

After the LORD has expelled them before you, you are not to say to yourselves, "The LORD caused me to enter and possess this land because of my righteousness.' On the contrary, it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is dispossessing them before you to confirm what the LORD promised by an oath to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

But God chose what is nonsense in the world to make the wise feel ashamed. God chose what is weak in the world to make the strong feel ashamed. And God chose what is insignificant in the world, what is despised, what is nothing, in order to destroy what is something, so that no one may boast in God's presence.

But Moses told God, "Who am I? How can I go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelis out of Egypt?"

"Right"," Gideon responded. "Sir, how will I deliver Israel? Look my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I'm the youngest in my father's household."

Saul answered: "Am I not a descendant of Benjamin from the least of the tribes of Israel? Isn't my family the least important of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why have you spoken to me like this?"

David told Saul, "Who am I and what is my life or my father's family in Israel that I should be the king's son-in-law?"

"You have demonstrated abundant gracious love to your servant David, my father, as he lived in your presence truthfully, righteously, and uprightly in his heart. In addition, you have kept on showing this abundant gracious love by giving him a son to sit on his throne today. Now, LORD my God, you have set me as king to replace my father David, but I'm still young. I don't have any leadership skills.

"How terrible it will be for me!" I cried, "because I am ruined! I'm a man with unclean lips, and I live among a people with unclean lips! And my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of the Heavenly Armies!"

I replied, "Ah, LORD God! Look, I don't know how to speak, because I'm only a young man."

Later, the LORD came and stood there, calling out, "Samuel! Samuel!" as he had before. Samuel said, "Speak, because your servant is listening."

Then I heard the voice of the LORD as he was asking, "Whom will I send? Who will go for us?" "Here I am!" I replied. "Send me."

Now faith is the assurance that what we hope for will come about and the certainty that what we cannot see exists. By faith our ancestors won approval.

"I'm Esau, your firstborn!" Jacob told his father. "I've done what you asked, so please sit up and eat what I caught, so you can bless me." "How did you get it so quickly, my son?" Isaac asked. Jacob responded, ""because the LORD your God made me successful." So Isaac told Jacob, "Come here, my son, so I can feel you and know for sure whether or not you're my son Esau."read more.
So Jacob approached his father, who felt him and said, "It's Jacob's voice, but Esau's hands." He didn't recognize Jacob, because his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau, so Isaac blessed him. He asked, "Are you really my son Esau?" "I am," Jacob replied.

Then the LORD told Moses, "You are to climb these Abarim mountains and look over the land that I'm going to give the Israelis. After you've seen it, you'll be taken to be with your people just as your brother Aaron was gathered to them, because in the wilderness of Zin, when the community rebelled, you rebelled against my command to treat me as holy before their eyes in regards to the Meribah Springs in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin."

So David sent some messengers, took her from her home, and she went to him, and he had sex with her. (She had been consecrating herself following her menstrual separation.) Then she returned to her home.

The LORD became angry at Solomon because his heart wandered away from the LORD God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice and warned him about this so he would not pursue other gods. But he did not obey what the LORD had commanded, so the LORD told Solomon, "Because you have done this and haven't kept my covenant and statutes that I commanded you, I'm going to tear the kingdom from you and give it to your servant. read more.
I'm not going to do this during your lifetime, for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of your son's control. For the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, I won't tear away the entire kingdom. I'll leave one tribe for your son to govern."

Then Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority over unclean spirits, so that they could drive them out and heal every disease and every illness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; read more.
Simon the Cananaean and Judas Iscariot, who later betrayed Jesus.

He appointed the Twelve, whom he called apostles, to accompany him, to be sent out to preach, and to have the authority to drive out demons. He appointed the Twelve: Simon (whom he named Peter), read more.
Zebedee's sons James and his brother John (whom he named Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

Now it was in those days that Jesus went to a mountain to pray, and he spent the whole night in prayer to God. When daylight came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also called apostles: Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, read more.
Matthew, Thomas, James (the son of Alphaeus), Simon (who was called the Zealot), Judas (the son of James), and Judas Iscariot (who became a traitor).

But the Lord told him, "Go, because he's my chosen instrument to carry my name to unbelievers, to their kings, and to the descendants of Israel.

"And now I stand here on trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our ancestors.

But we have this treasure in clay jars to show that its extraordinary power comes from God and not from us. In every way we're troubled but not crushed, frustrated but not in despair, persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed. read more.
We are always carrying around the death of Jesus in our bodies, so that the life of Jesus may be clearly shown in our bodies. While we are alive, we are constantly being handed over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be clearly shown in our mortal bodies. And so death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

To keep me from becoming conceited because of the exceptional nature of these revelations, a thorn was given to me and placed in my body. It was Satan's messenger to keep on tormenting me so that I would not become conceited.

I am the worst of them. But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the worst sinner, the Messiah Jesus might demonstrate all of his patience as an example for those who would believe in him for eternal life.

For God, whom I serve with my spirit by preaching the gospel about his Son, is my witness how constantly I mention you

From: James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. To: The twelve tribes in the Dispersion. Greetings.

From: Paul, a servant of Jesus the Messiah, called to be an apostle and set apart for God's gospel,

This is the revelation of Jesus the Messiah, which God gave him to show his servants the things that must happen soon. He made it known by sending his messenger to his servant John,

I have become a servant of this gospel according to the gift of God's grace that was given me by the working of his power.

However, you must remain firmly established and steadfast in the faith, without being moved from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea, that my ministry to Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints,

Now I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deaconess in the church at Cenchrea.

Now I urge you, brothers for you know that the members of the family of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to serving the saints

I do not need to write to you any further about the ministry to the saints.

So that you may know what has happened to me and how I am doing, Tychicus, our dear brother and a faithful minister in service to the Lord, will tell you everything.

You learned about this gospel from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of the Messiah on your behalf.

who has also qualified us to be ministers of a new covenant, which is not written but spiritual, because the written text brings death, but the Spirit gives life.

Therefore, since we have this ministry through the mercy shown to us, we do not get discouraged.

So the Twelve called the whole group of disciples together and said, "It is not desirable for us to neglect messages from God in order to wait on tables. Therefore, brothers, appoint seven men among you who have a good reputation, who are full of the Spirit and wisdom, and we'll put them in charge of this work. Then we'll devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word."

All of this comes from God, who has reconciled us to himself through the Messiah and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,

to serve in this office of apostle, from which Judas left to go to his own place."

For the one who worked through Peter by making him an apostle to the circumcised also worked through me by sending me to the gentiles.

to be a minister of the Messiah Jesus to the gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering brought by gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

who was one of the men associated with us all the time the Lord Jesus came and went among us,

Therefore, brothers, appoint seven men among you who have a good reputation, who are full of the Spirit and wisdom, and we'll put them in charge of this work.

Therefore, an elder must be blameless, the husband of one wife, stable, sensible, respectable, hospitable to strangers, and teachable. He must not drink excessively or be a violent person, but instead be gentle. He must not be argumentative or love money. He must manage his own family well and have children who are submissive and respectful in every way. read more.
For if a man does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church? He must not be a recent convert, so that he won't become arrogant and fall into the Devil's condemnation. He must be well thought of by outsiders, so he doesn't fall into disgrace and the trap set for him by the Devil.

Because an overseer is God's servant manager, he must be blameless. He must not be arrogant or irritable. He must not drink too much, be a violent person, or make money in shameful ways. Instead, he must be hospitable to strangers, must appreciate what is good, and be sensible, honest, moral, and self-controlled. He must be devoted to the trustworthy message that agrees with what we teach, so that he may be able to encourage others with healthy doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

Ministers, too, must be serious. They must not be two-faced, addicted to wine, or greedy for money. They must hold firmly to the secret of the faith with clear consciences. But they must first be tested. Then, if they prove to be blameless, they may become ministers. read more.
Their wives must also be serious. They must not be gossips, but instead be stable and trustworthy in everything. Ministers must be husbands of one wife and must manage their children and their families well. Those ministers who serve well gain an excellent reputation for themselves and will have great assurance by their faith in the Messiah Jesus.

But you, man of God, must flee from all these things. Instead, you must pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, endurance, and gentleness.