34 Bible Verses about Ministry, Qualifications For

No, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame what is strong; God has chosen what is mean and despised in the world ??things which are not, to put down things that are; that no person may boast in the sight of God.

Now faith means we are confident of what we hope for, convinced of what we do not see. It was for this that the men of old won their record.

And summoning his twelve disciples he gave them power over unclean spirits, power to cast them out and also to heal every disease and every ailment. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, James the son of Zebedaeus and John his brother, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the taxgatherer, James the son of Alphaeus and Lebbaeus whose surname is Thaddaeus,read more.
Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.

He appointed twelve to be with him, also that he might despatch them to preach with the power of casting out daemons; there was Simon, whom he surnamed Peter,read more.
James the son of Zebedaeus and John the brother of James (he surnamed them Boanerges, or "Sons of thunder"), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the zealot, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him. Then they went indoors,

It was in these days that he went off to the hillside to pray. He spent the whole night in prayer to God, and when day broke he summoned his disciples, choosing twelve of them, to whom he gave the name of 'apostles': Simon (to whom he gave the name of Peter), Andrew his brother, 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 turned traitor).

But the Lord said to him, "Go; I have chosen him to be the means of bringing my Name before the Gentiles and their kings as well as before the sons of Israel.

To-day I am standing my trial for hoping in the promise made by God to our fathers,

But I possess this treasure in a frail vessel of earth, to show that the transcending power belongs to God, not to myself; on every side I am harried but not hemmed in, perplexed but not despairing, persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed ??10 wherever I go, I am being killed in the body as Jesus was, so that the life of Jesus may come out in my body:read more.
every day of my life I am being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may come out within my mortal flesh. In me then death is active, in you life.

My wealth of visions might have puffed me up, so I was given a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan to rack me and keep me from being puffed up;

I obtained mercy, for the purpose of furnishing Christ Jesus with the chief illustration of his utter patience; I was to be the typical instance of all who were to believe in him and gain eternal life.

God is my witness, the God whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, how unceasingly I always mention you in my prayers,

James, a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: greeting.

PAUL, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God

A revelation by Jesus Christ, which God granted him for his servants, to show them what must come to pass very soon; he disclosed it by sending it through his angel to his servant John,

Such is the gospel which I was called to serve by the endowment of God's grace which was vouchsafed me, by the energy of his power;

pray that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judaea, and also that my mission to Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints.

Let me introduce our sister Phoebe, a deaconess of the church at Cenchreae;

I ask this favour of you, my brothers. The household of Stephanas, you know, was the first to be reaped in Achaia, and they have laid themselves out to serve the saints.

Indeed it is quite superfluous for me to be writing to you about this charitable service to the saints;

Our beloved brother Tychicus, a faithful minister in the Lord, will give you all information about me, so that you may know how I am;

You got that lesson from our beloved fellow-servant Epaphras, a minister of Christ who is faithful to your interests;

and he has further qualified me to be the minister of a new covenant ??a covenant not of written law but of spirit; for the written law kills but the Spirit makes alive.

Hence, as I hold this ministry by God's mercy to me, I never lose heart in it;

So the twelve summoned the main body of the disciples and said: "It is not desirable that we should drop preaching the word of God and attend to meals. Brothers, look out seven of your own number, men of good reputation who are full of the Spirit and of wisdom. We will appoint them to this duty, but we will continue to devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word."

It is all the doing of the God who has reconciled me to himself through Christ and has permitted me to be a minister of his reconciliation.

to fill the place in this apostolic ministry which Judas left in order to go to his own place."

(for He who equipped Peter to be an apostle of the circumcised equipped me as well for the uncircumcised),

as a priest of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the service of God's gospel. My aim is to make the Gentiles an acceptable offering, consecrated by the holy Spirit.

Well then, of the men who have been associated with us all the time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

Brothers, look out seven of your own number, men of good reputation who are full of the Spirit and of wisdom. We will appoint them to this duty,

Well, for the office of a bishop a man must be above reproach; he must be only married once, he must be temperate, master of himself, unruffled, hospitable, a skilled teacher, not a drunkard or violent, but lenient and conciliatory, not a lover of money, able to manage his own household properly and keep his children submissive and perfectly respectfulread more.
(if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how is he to look after the church of God?); he must not be a new convert, in case he gets conceited and incurs the doom passed on the devil; also, he must have a good reputation among outsiders, in case he incurs slander and is trapped by the devil.

[For a bishop must be above reproach ??he is a steward of God's house ??he must not be presumptuous or hot-tempered or a drunkard or violent or addicted to pilfering; he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, master of himself, a just man, a religious man, and abstemious; he must hold by the sure truths of doctrine so as to be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and refute objections raised by any.]

Deacons in turn are to be serious men; they are not to be tale-bearers or addicted to drink or pilfering; they must maintain the divine truth of the faith with a pure conscience. They too must be put on probation; after that, if they are above reproach, they can serve as deacons.read more.
Their wives must be serious too; they must not be slanderers but temperate and absolutely trustworthy. Deacons are only to be married once, and they must manage their children and households properly. For those who do good service as deacons win a good position for themselves as well as great freedom in the faith of Christ Jesus.

Shun that, O man of God, aim at integrity, piety, faith, love, stedfastness, and suavity;