Gospel Ministry - am I right for it?

Yesterday morning's post reflected on how the victorious risen Lord Jesus Christ generously gives gifts to his people to use for building up his church.

Those gifts are discerned as they are used by his servants and so people trying to work out what God is calling them to do will want to take every opportunity to have a go at ministry and to get good feedback. Both of these are vital and as we do so our goal is to answer the question:

‘How can I, as the person that I am, with the gifts God has given me, best advance the glory of God?’

However, if I am prepared to address this key question, what are the criteria to reach a conclusion? Let me give you 5 criteria to consider:

1. Character:

The famous list of qualifications in 1 Tim 3 are almost all to do with character – beyond reproach, a one-woman man, self-controlled regarding drink, money and our temper. We should all be praying that only godly men and women will enter full-time paid gospel ministry. It is worth saying that, hopefully, we will think we are not worthy to serve in this way. However, other people are often better judges of our character.

2. Convictions:

This doesn’t mean merely that we understand the gospel or that we’re able to articulate it clearly. No, I mean if you cut me, will I bleed gospel? Is it in the marrow of my bones, in my DNA? John Newton, in his advice to those considering ministry, said we ‘must have a real desire to promote the glory of God and the salvation of souls’. Only if we have gospel convictions will we be prepared to teach truth and refute error, endure opposition and suffering for the gospel.

3. Capability:

Twice in 1 & 2 Timothy, amid all the character qualifications, we hear the need for an ability to teach (1 Tim 3.2; 2 Tim 2.24). Now, we must not make the mistake of assuming that the ability to teach is a mark of godliness. Most godly Christians do not have this gift. So, if after testing, your church leaders suggest you do not have this gift, don’t mishear them – they’re not saying that you’re ungodly! But if they say that they are unsure if you have this ability to teach the Bible faithfully, clearly and, at least in some degree, compellingly, then please do not go into full-time paid word ministry because it will be a disaster! All Christians should want to be round pegs in round holes so we need to guard our hearts here from assuming that there is only one way to serve God – and I speak both to pastors like myself and to Christians seeking guidance about whether to embark on full-time paid word ministry.

4. Compassion:

Gospel ministers must love people – otherwise they will not be heard. Teaching God’s word is more than merely explaining a text; it is a relational activity. In the second half of 2 Tim 2, Paul speaks of the ability to teach within a context of a teacher who is gentle when provoked, prayerful when opposed, and driven by a desire to win his hearers back to God. Without that compassion for people, it doesn’t matter how clear or clever we are, we will not be an effective gospel minister. We should pray that we would be like the apostle himself who was like a mother and father to those under his care, or like the Lord himself who wept over the city as he saw people harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

5. Circumstances:

God gives us wisdom to make godly decisions and one of the factors ought to be our circumstances. Am I married or single, fragile or robust, high-maintenance or low-maintenance? Do I have a large capacity or small capacity, elderly parents to look after, a wife and 12 children to support?