50 Bible Verses about Ministry, Qualifications For

Not because ye were more than the other peoples has the LORD desired you and chosen you; for ye were the fewest of all the peoples; but because the LORD loved you and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, has the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand and ransomed you out of the house of slavery from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.

Think not in thine heart, after the LORD thy God has cast them out from before thee, saying, Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to inherit this land; rather for the wickedness of these Gentiles the LORD drives them out from before thee. Not for thy righteousness or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou enter in to inherit their land; but for the wickedness of these Gentiles, the LORD thy God drives them out from before thee and that he may confirm the word which the LORD swore unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

but rather God has chosen that which is the foolishness of the world to confound the wise, and God has chosen that which is the weakness of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and that which is vile of the world and that which is despised God has chosen, and things which are not, to bring to nought the things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence.

Then Moses said unto God, Who am I that I should go unto Pharaoh and that I should bring forth the sons of Israel out of Egypt?

Then he replied unto him, Oh my Lord, with what shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.

And Saul answered and said, Peradventure am I not of Jemini, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? And is my family not the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why, therefore, dost thou speak so to me?

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

And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy slave king instead of David my father; and I am but a tender young man; I do not know how to go out or come in.

Then I said, Woe is me! for I am dead because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of the hosts.

Then I said, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I do not know how to speak: for I am a child.

And the LORD came and stood and called as at the other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy slave hears.

After this, I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I answered, Here am I; send me.

Faith, therefore, is the substance of things waited for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report.

And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau, thy firstborn; I have done according as thou didst command me; arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me. Then Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me. And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.read more.
And Jacob went near unto 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 discerned him not because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands; so he blessed him. And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.

And the LORD said unto Moses, Climb up this Mount Abarim, and thou shalt see the land which I have given unto the sons of Israel. And after thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy peoples, as Aaron thy brother was gathered. For ye were rebels to my word in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me in the waters before their eyes. These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.

And David sent messengers and took her, and she came in unto him, and he lay with her. Then she purified herself from her uncleanness, and she returned unto her house.

And the LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart was turned aside from the LORD God of Israel, who had appeared unto him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not keep that which the LORD had commanded him. Therefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Because this has been in thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee and will give it to thy slave.read more.
But I will not do it in thy days for David, thy father's sake, but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son. However, I will not rend away all the kingdom, but will give one tribe to thy son for David, my slave's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen.

Then calling his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of weakness. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: the first, Simon, who is called 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 Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;read more.
Simon the Canaanite and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

And he established twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out devils: Simon, whom he gave the name Peter;read more.
and James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, whom he surnamed them Boanerges, which is The sons of thunder; and Andrew and Philip and Bartholomew and Matthew and Thomas and James the son of Alphaeus and Thaddaeus and Simon the Canaanite and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him; and they came home.

And it came to pass in those days that he went out into the mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples; and of them he chose twelve, whom he also named apostles: Simon (whom he also 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 Zelotes and Judas the brother of James and Judas Iscariot, who also was the traitor.

But the Lord said unto him, Go; for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons 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 clay vessels that the excellency of the virtue may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are unsure of our lives, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;read more.
always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death works in us, but life in you.

And lest the greatness of the revelations should exalt me above measure, there is given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

But for this cause I was received unto mercy that in me first, Jesus Christ might show forth all clemency, for an example to those who should hereafter believe in him for eternal life.

For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I always remember you in my prayers,

James, , a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus, the Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

Paul, slave of Jesus, the Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his slaves things which are convenient to do quickly, and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his slave John,

of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the operation of his power.

if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard and which is preached to every creature which is under heaven, of which I Paul am made a minister,

that I may be delivered from the disobedient in Judaea and that the offering of my service to the saints in Jerusalem may be accepted,

I commend unto you Phebe our sister, who is a servant of the congregation which is at Cenchrea,

I beseech you, brethren (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia and that they have dedicated themselves to the ministry of the saints),

For regarding the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you:

But that ye also may know my affairs and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, shall make known to you all things,

as ye also learned of Epaphras, our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ,

who also has made us able ministers of the new testament, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Therefore seeing we have this ministry, according to the mercy we have received, we fault not,

Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them and said, It is not right that we should leave the word of God and serve tables; therefore, brethren, seek out among you seven men of whom you bear witness, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. And we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.

And all this by God, who reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;

that he may take the lot or inheritance of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas rebelled that he might go to his own place.

(for he that showed himself forth in Peter for apostleship of the circumcision, the same also showed himself forth in me toward the Gentiles);

being the minister of Jesus Christ, to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be well pleasing, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

It behooves, therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

therefore, brethren, seek out among you seven men of whom you bear witness, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

It is expedient, therefore, that the bishop be blameless, the husband of only one wife, vigilant, temperate, of worldly affections mortified, given to hospitality, apt to teach; not given to wine, not hurtful, not greedy of dishonest gain, but gentle, not contentious, not covetous; one that rules well his own house, having his children in subjection with all integrity;read more.
(for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the congregation of God?) not a novice, lest being puffed up, he fall into judgment of the devil. Moreover he must have a good report of those who are outside lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

For the bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God; not arrogant, not quick to anger, not given to wine, not hurtful, not greedy of dishonest gain, but a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, temperate, just, holy, gentle, holding fast the doctrine according to the faithful word, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

Likewise the deacons must be honest, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of dishonest gain; holding the mystery of the faith together with a pure conscience. And let these also first be proved; then let them minister, if they are blameless.read more.
The wives likewise are to be honest, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Let the deacons be the husbands of only one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. For those that minister well purchase to themselves a good degree and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

But thou, O man of God, flee these things and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, charity, tolerance, meekness.