50 Bible Verses about Ministry, Qualifications For

It was not because of the multitude of you, above all nations, that the LORD had lust unto you and chose you: For ye were fewest of all nations. But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, therefore he brought you out of Egypt with a mighty hand and delivered you out of the house of bondage; even from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Speak not in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out before thee, saying, 'For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land.' Nay, but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth cast them out before thee. It is not for thy righteousness' sake and right heart that thou goest to possess their land: But partly for the wickedness of these nations, the LORD thy God doth cast them out before thee, and partly to perform that which the LORD thy God sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world, to confound the wise. And God hath chosen the weak things of the world, to confound things which are mighty. And vile things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things of no reputation, for to bring to nought things of reputation, that no flesh should rejoice in his presence.

And Moses said unto God, "What am I, to go to Pharaoh and to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?"

And he answered him, "Oh Lord, wherewith should I save Israel? Behold my kindred is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house."

But Saul answered, and said, "Am not I the son of a Benjaminite of the smallest tribe of Israel, and my kindred the least of all the kindreds of the tribe of Benjamin? Wherefore then speakest thou so to me?"

And David answered Saul, "What am I? And what is my life or the kindred of my father in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?"

And now LORD, my God, it is thou that hast made thy servant king instead of David my father. And I am a young lad and know not how to order myself.

Then I said, "O woe is me! For I am lost: inasmuch as I am a man of unclean lips, and dwell among people that hath unclean lips also. For mine eyes have seen the King and LORD of Hosts."

Then said I, "Oh LORD God, I cannot speak, for I am yet but young."

And the LORD came and stood and called as before, "Samuel, Samuel." And Samuel said, "Speak on, for thy servant heareth thee."

After this I heard the voice of the LORD, taking advisement on this manner, "Whom shall I send, and who will be our messenger?" Then I said, "Here am I, send me."

Faith is a sure confidence of things which are hoped for, and a certainty of things which are not seen. By it the elders were well reported of.

And Jacob said unto his father, "I am Esau, thy eldest son. I have done according as thou baddest me: up and sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me." But Isaac said unto his son, "How cometh it that thou hast found it so quickly my son?" He answered, "The LORD thy God brought it to my hand." Then said Isaac unto Jacob, "Come near and let me feel thee my son, whether thou be my son Esau or not."read more.
Then went Jacob to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said the voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. And he knew him not, because his hands were rough as his brother Esau's hands and so he blessed him. And he asked him, "Art thou my son Esau?" And he said, "That I am."

And the LORD said unto Moses, "Get thee up into this mount Abarim, and behold, the land which I have given unto the children of Israel. And when thou hast seen it, thou shalt be gathered unto thy people also; as Aaron thy brother was gathered unto his people. For ye were disobedient unto my mouth in the desert of Zin in the strife of the congregation, that ye sanctified me not in the water before their eyes." That is the water of strife in Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin.

And David sent messengers and fetched her, and she came unto him, and he lay with her. And she was straightway purified of her uncleanness, and returned unto her house.

Then was the LORD angry with Solomon because his heart turned from the LORD God of Israel which appeared unto him twice, and gave him a charge of this thing that he should not follow other gods. But he kept not that which the LORD commanded him: whereupon the LORD said to Solomon, "Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept mine covenant and mine ordinances which I have commanded thee, therefore I will rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.read more.
Notwithstanding, in thy days I will not do it, because of David thy father: but I will take it from thy son. Howbeit I will not take away all: but will give one tribe to thy son, because of David my servant and because of Jerusalem which I have chosen."

And he called his twelve disciples unto him, and gave them power over all unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sicknesses, and all manner of diseases. The names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon which is called also Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alpheus, and Lebbeus, otherwise called Thaddeus;read more.
Simon of Canaan, and Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him.

And he ordained the twelve that they should be with him, and that he might send them to preach. And that they might have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out devils. And he gave Simon to name, Peter.read more.
And he called James the son of Zebedee, and John, James' brother, and gave them Boanerges to name, which is to say, the Sons of Thunder. And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon of Canaan, and Judas Iscariot, which same also betrayed him.

And it fortuned in those days, that he went out into a mountain for to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And as soon as it was day, he called his disciples, and of them he chose twelve, which also he called his apostles. Simon, whom also he named Peter: and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew;read more.
Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon called Zealotes, and Judas James' son, and Judas Iscariot, which same was the traitor.

The Lord said unto him, "Go thy ways: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the gentiles, and kings and the children of Israel:

And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers:

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellent power of it might appear to be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet are we not without shift. We are in poverty: but not utterly without somewhat. We are persecuted: but are not forsaken. We are cast down: nevertheless we perish not.read more.
And we always bear in our bodies the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus might appear in our bodies. For we which live, are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might appear in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, and life in you.

And lest I should be exalted out of measure through the abundance of revelations, there was given unto me of God unquietness of the flesh: the messenger of Satan to buffet me, because I should not be exalted out of measure.

for this cause was mercy given unto me, that Jesus Christ should first show on me all long patience, unto the example of them which shall, in time to come, believe on him unto eternal life.

For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit, in the Gospel of his son that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,

James, the servant of God, and of the Lord Jesus Christ, sendeth greeting to the twelve tribes which are scattered here and there.

Paul, the servant of Jesus Christ, called unto the office to be an apostle, put apart to preach the Gospel of God,

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, for to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass. And he sent and showed by his angel unto his servant John,

whereof I am made a minister, by the gift of the grace of God given unto me, through the working of his power.

if ye continue grounded and established in the faith, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, whereof ye have heard, how that it is preached among all creatures, which are under heaven, whereof I, Paul, am made a minister.

that I may be delivered from them which believe not in Jewry; and that this my service, which I have to Jerusalem, may be accepted of the saints,

I commend unto you Phoebe our sister, which is a minister of the congregation of Cenchreae,

Brethren, ye know the house of Stephanas, how that they are the first fruits of Achaia, and that they have appointed themselves to minister unto the saints:

Of the ministering to the saints, it is but superfluous for me to write unto you:

But that ye may also know that condition I am in, and what I do, Tychicus my dear brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall show you of all things,

as ye learned of Epaphras our dear fellow servant, which is for you a faithful minister of Christ,

which hath made us able to minister the new testament, not of the letter, but of the spirit. For the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

Therefore seeing that we have such an office, even as mercy is come on us, we faint not:

Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples together and said, "It is not meet that we should leave the word of God and serve at the tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, and full of the holy ghost and wisdom, which we may appoint to this needful business: but we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministration of the word."

Nevertheless, all things are of God, which hath reconciled us unto himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given unto us the office to preach the atonement.

that the one may take the room of this ministration, and apostleship from the which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place."

For he that was mighty in Peter in the apostleship over the circumcision, the same was mighty in me among the gentiles -

for this purpose: that I should be the minister of Jesus Christ among the gentiles, and should minister the glad tidings of God, that the gentiles might be an acceptable offering, sanctified by the holy ghost.

Wherefore of these men which have companied with us - all the time that the Lord Jesus went out and in among us,

Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, and full of the holy ghost and wisdom, which we may appoint to this needful business:

Yea, and a bishop must be faultless, the husband of one wife, sober, discreet, honestly appareled, harborous, apt to teach, not drunken, no fighter, not given to filthy lucre: but gentle, abhorring fighting, abhorring covetousness, and one that ruleth his own house honestly, having children under obedience, with all honesty.read more.
For if a man cannot rule his own house, how shall he care for the congregation of God? He may not be a young scholar, lest he swell and fall into the judgment of the evil speaker. He must also be well reported of among them which are without forth, lest he fall into rebuke, and into the snare of the evil speaker.

For a bishop must be faultless, as it becometh the minister of God; not stubborn, not angry, no drunkard, no fighter, not given to filthy lucre: but harborous, one that loveth goodness, sober minded, righteous, holy, temperate, and such as cleaveth unto the true word of doctrine, that he may be able to exhort with wholesome learning, and to improve them that say against it.

Likewise must the deacons be honest, not double tongued, not given unto much drinking, neither unto filthy lucre: but having the mystery of the faith in pure conscience. And let them first be proved, and then let them minister, if they be found faultless.read more.
Even so must their wives be honest, not evil speakers: but sober, and faithful in all things. Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife and such as rule their children well, and their own households. For they that minister well, get themselves good degree, and great liberty in the faith, which is in Christ Jesus.

But thou, which art the man of God, flee such things. Follow righteousness, godliness, love, patience, and meekness.