35 Bible Verses about Ministry, Qualifications For

Just the opposite: God chose what the world calls foolish to put the wise to shame, what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame, what the world calls of low degree, yea, what it counts as nothing and what it thinks does not exist, God chose to put a stop to what it thinks exists, so that no mortal man might ever boast in the presence of God.

Now faith is the assurance of the things we hope for, the proof of the reality of the things we cannot see. For by it the men of old won God's approval.

Then He called His twelve disciples to Him, and gave them authority over foul spirits, so that they could drive them out, and so that they could cure any disease or ailment. Here are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, who was named 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 Alpheus, and Thaddeus,read more.
Simon the zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who afterward betrayed Him.

And He appointed the Twelve, to whom He gave the title, apostles, to be with Him, to send them forth to preach, and to have the right to drive out the demons. The Twelve whom He appointed were: Peter, the name which He gave to Simon,read more.
James the son of Zebedee, and John, James's brother (He named them Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, Thaddeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him. Then He went home.

Now it was in those days that He went up on the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. When day came, He called His disciples to Him, and selected from them twelve whom He also named apostles: Simon whom he named Peter, his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,read more.
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who afterward turned traitor.

But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name to the heathen and their kings, and to the descendants of Israel.

And now it is for the hope of the promise made by God to our forefathers that I stand here on trial,

But I am keeping this jewel in an earthen jar, to prove that its surpassing power is God's, not mine. On every side I am ever hard-pressed, but never hemmed in; always perplexed, but never to the point of despair; always being persecuted, but not deserted; always getting a knockdown, but never a knockout;read more.
always being exposed to death as Jesus was, so that in my body the life of Jesus may be clearly shown. For all the time I continue to live I am being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that in my mortal lower nature the life of Jesus may be clearly shown. So it is death that works in me, but it is life that works in you.

So, to keep me from being over-elated, there was sent upon me a physical disease, sharp as a piercing stake, a messenger of Satan, to continue afflicting me, and so to keep me, I repeat, from being over-elated.

Yet, mercy was shown me for the very purpose that in my case as the foremost of sinners Jesus might display His perfect patience, to make me an example to those who in the future might believe on Him to obtain eternal life.

Indeed, my witness is God, whom I serve in my spirit by telling the good news about His Son, that I never fail to mention you every time I pray,

James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, sends greetings to the twelve tribes that are scattered over the world.

Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ, called as an apostle, set apart to preach God's good news,

A revelation given by Jesus Christ which God gave to Him, to make known to His slaves what must very soon take place. He sent and communicated it through His angel to His slave John,

for which I was called to serve in accordance with the gift of God's unmerited favor which was bestowed on me by the exercise of His power--

if indeed you continue well grounded and firm in faith and never shift from the hope inspired by the good news you heard, which has been preached all over the world, and of which I, Paul, have been made a minister.

that I may be delivered from those in Judea who are disobedient, and that the help which I am taking to Jerusalem may be well received by God's people there,

Now I introduce to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deaconess in the church at Cenchreae,

Now I beg you, brothers -- you know that the family of Stephanas were the first converts in Greece, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of God's people --

It is really superfluous for me to write to you about this service which is being rendered to God's people,

That you may also know how I am, Tychicus, our dearly loved brother and a faithful minister in the Lord's service, will give you all the information;

as you learned it from Epaphras, our dearly loved fellow-slave. As a faithful minister of Christ for me

He has qualified even me as a minister of the new covenant, which is not a written but a spiritual covenant. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

So, because I hold a place in this ministry and that because I have had God's mercy shown me, I never give up.

So the Twelve called together the whole body of the disciples, and said, "It is not desirable that we should leave off preaching the word of God to wait on tables. So, brothers, you must select from your number seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit, and of good practical sense, and we will assign them to this business, while we will go on devoting ourselves to prayer and the word of God."

This has all originated with God, for He through Christ has reconciled me to Himself and has given me the ministry of reconciliation.

to take a share in this service as an apostle, from which Judas fell away to go to his own place."

for He who had been at work in Peter for his apostleship to the Jews had been at work in me too for the apostleship to the heathen --

in making me a minister of Christ Jesus to the heathen peoples, to have me act as a sacrificing minister of the good news, in order that my offering of the heathen peoples to God may be acceptable, consecrated by the Holy Spirit.

"So one of these men who have been associated with us all the time the Lord Jesus came and went among us,

So, brothers, you must select from your number seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit, and of good practical sense, and we will assign them to this business,

So the pastor must be a man above reproach, must have only one wife, must be temperate, sensible, well-behaved, hospitable, skillful in teaching; not addicted to strong drink, not pugnacious, gentle and not contentious, not avaricious, managing his own house well, with perfect seriousness keeping his children under controlread more.
(if a man does not know how to manage his own house, how can he take care of a church of God?). He must not be a new convert, or else becoming conceited he may incur the doom the devil met. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, or else he may incur reproach and fall into the devil's trap.

For as God's trustee a pastor must be above reproach, not stubborn or quick-tempered or addicted to strong drink or pugnacious or addicted to dishonest gain, but hospitable, a lover of goodness, sensible, upright, of pure life, self-controlled, and a man who continues to cling to the trustworthy message as he was taught it, so that he may be competent to encourage others with wholesome teaching and to convict those who oppose him.

Deacons, too, must be serious, sincere in their talk, not addicted to strong drink or dishonest gain, but they must continue to hold the open secret of faith with a clear conscience. They, too, should first be tested till approved, and then, if they are found above reproach, they should serve as deacons.read more.
The deaconesses too must be serious, not gossips; they must be temperate and perfectly trustworthy. A deacon too must have only one wife, and manage his children and household well. For those who render good service win a good standing for themselves in their faith in Christ Jesus.

But you, as a man of God, must be fleeing always from these things; you must constantly strive for uprightness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.