Luke 22:25 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors.

26 But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.

Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

I Corinthians 4:1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.

2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

I Timothy 3:1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;

5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Titus 1:7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

8 But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;

9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

MEMORY VERSE: Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. —II Timothy 4:2

CENTRAL THOUGHT: While all Christians are called to share the gospel message, God does especially gift and call some to the stewardship of preaching the gospel. Of these He requires specific qualifications.

WORD DEFINITIONS

Acts 20:28 “Feed”: to shepherd; tend; care for or protect a flock; rule, govern; provide pasturage; feed, nourish. “Overseer”: episkopos—from a combination of words meaning on and look intently. “A man called by God to literally ‘keep an eye on’ His flock (the Church, the body of Christ), i.e. to provide personalized (first hand) care and protection. Though in some contexts epískopos has been regarded traditionally as a position of authority, in reality the focus is upon the responsibility for caring for others” (HELPS Word Studies).

I Corinthians 4:1 “Steward”: manager of a household; guardian, treasurer, fiscal agent; spiritually, those to whom the counsels of God have been committed to be made known to men. Accountability is an important part of this.

I Timothy 3:1 “Bishop”: a “visiting”; overseeing; supervision; care and attention appropriate to personal visitation.

I Timothy 3:2 “Apt to teach”: able and skillful in teaching; also, the virtue which renders one teachable; docility.

I Timothy 3:3 “No striker”: not “ready with a blow,” violent, quarrelsome or contentious.

I Timothy 3:6 “Novice”: Newly planted; a recent convert.

LESSON BACKGROUND

Our first scriptures speak of one of the things that Jesus mentioned often to His disciples: the importance of being just a lowly servant. Humility is crucial to gospel work, whether it be the work of a missionary, a pastor, a deacon, a teacher, or an evangelist.

The next scripture gives us the concept of shepherding God’s flock. Jesus is the Great Shepherd; we are lowly under-shepherds, but to us is given the commission of looking intently and with care over people’s souls, and being diligent to feed and nourish their souls with the pure soul-food of the Word. Paul gave this charge to the brethren at Ephesus as he was leaving them to return to Jerusalem. He had no expectation of seeing them again; however, he did get to return. Sadly, there were those who had turned away from him, and so it is very possible that many of the ones to which he was speaking never saw him the next time he visited before he was sent to Rome. In a few very personal, touching words, Paul gives the essence of a true minister of the gospel in this discourse. He had been with them three years. They knew his life and his humble service.

In Paul’s epistle to the Corinthians, he shares the concept of being a steward of the gospel. Faithfulness is the essential quality here. I am reminded of the example of Joseph, who was given the total care over Potiphar’s household and business, and the serious way he faithfully went about his business.

Paul’s letters of instruction to both Timothy and Titus, young ministers who were personally mentored by Paul, contain much about being a true minister of the gospel. We have listed just a few of the important qualifications. Each of these could be a lesson in and of itself. Together they present a composite picture of a man of God. Looking back into the Old Testament prophets included in this series, we see many living examples of these qualities.

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck

DISCUSSION:

1. Humility: Share why this is such an important quality in the life of a gospel worker.

2. Overseer: How does the true meaning of this word keep a check and balance in the way a pastor deals with the flock?

3. Steward: How should this concept affect the way a minister conducts his ministry? 4. Bishop: How does the true meaning, “a visiting,” give insight into the type of care a pastor should give to the flock?

COMMENTS AND APPLICATION

We have come to the last lesson in the series on “The Glorious Gospel.” Truly, my soul has been blessed and challenged by this study; I trust yours has been as well. The Lord woke me in the night with this theme, many scriptures, and many of the topics for the individual lessons, and my soul was thrilled at the prospect of study. Now at the end, I am sobered by the responsibility we have to bring God’s message to the world.

I am convinced that being an humble example of the believers is of utmost importance. The qualifications in these scriptures are not optional. We simply will not bring the true gospel to lost sinners, nor present it in a convincing, attractive way, nor will they be able to “get it” if we live shoddy, hypocritical lives. Millions of souls have been turned off by preachers who were greedy for money, lustful and adulterous, proud, self-seeking and domineering. Many children and spouses of preachers have been turned away from Christ because of the harsh, violent, selfish behavior they endured at home, or simply because the parent was so busy with gospel work that the child felt neglected and unloved.

Because these things are sadly true, there is a greater-than-ever need for consecrated, called and qualified gospel messengers. Who will say to the Lord, in response to seeing a vision of Him, “Here am I, Lord, send me!”? Who will leave all for Jesus? Who will suffer for the gospel? Who will be willing to speak when there is opposition? Who will boldly stand before authorities, scoffers and false prophets and not withhold the truth?

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck

REFLECTIONS

When a job recruiter or an employer posts a position, they give a brief description of the qualifications expected of each applicant. It may require a degree, a certain level of experience, or an appropriate skill-set. They may even request letters of recommendation.

The candidate is then fully vetted. Their moral character, even their financial integrity is scrutinized. Will their personality fit the position and the culture of the company? Do they have what it takes to do the job? Each year companies spend millions of dollars to get the right person for the right position, especially if that person will lead the company or a major division of it. If they fail to meet the required standard, they fail to get the position.

Ministering the gospel is the most important occupation in the world since the days of Christ. The gospel is to be preached to every creature. It impacts every living soul and influences everyone’s eternal destiny. No job is more important than that. And nowhere is there a greater need for highly qualified individuals.

Yet there is a shortage of spiritual personnel because there is shortage of spiritual consecration. God is not so desperate that he will just settle for anything and anyone. He will leave the position vacant rather than have His work damaged or destroyed by unqualified individuals who don’t meet the standard and can’t bear the demands of the job.

Gospel ministry is not just for the church—it is for the world also. We are representing Christ to everyone we meet and we must therefore have a good report from without. We are representing Christ to the church and must therefore have a good report from within.

It is imperative that those who represent the ministry of Christ be qualified to do so. God is greatly concerned about His work. He is equally concerned about the qualifications of the worker He chooses.

—Bro. Darrell Johnson