Christian Minister: Duties of

Now go! I will help you as you speak, and I will teach you what to say.”

Then the LORD said to Aaron, …

This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in all you do.

Then the king of Assyria commanded: “Send back one of the priests you carried off from Samaria, and have him go back to live there and teach the requirements of the God of the land.”

Thus one of the priests they had carried away came and lived in Bethel, and he began to teach them how they should worship the LORD.

Now, my sons, do not be negligent, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, to minister before Him, and to burn incense.”

“Comfort, comfort My people,” says your God. …

Go up on a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news. Raise your voice loudly, O Jerusalem, herald of good news. Lift it up, do not be afraid! Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!”

He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads the nursing ewes.

Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing; come out from it, purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the LORD.

And it will be said, “Build it up, build it up, prepare the way, take every obstacle out of the way of My people.”

“Cry aloud, do not hold back! Raise your voice like a ram’s horn. Declare to My people their transgression and to the house of Jacob their sins.

On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD shall take no rest for yourselves,

…nor give Him any rest until He establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.

But the LORD told me: “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ For to everyone I send you, you must go, and all that I command you, you must speak.

Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.

Get yourself ready. Stand up and tell them everything that I command you. Do not be intimidated by them, or I will terrify you before them. …

For a voice resounds from Dan, proclaiming disaster from the hills of Ephraim.

“I have appointed you to examine My people like ore, so you may know and try their ways.

Therefore this is what the LORD says: “If you return, I will restore you; you will stand in My presence. And if you speak words that are noble instead of worthless, you will be My spokesman. It is they who must turn to you, but you must not turn to them. …

I will raise up shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or dismayed, nor will any go missing, declares the LORD.

But if they had stood in My council, they would have proclaimed My words to My people and turned them back from their evil ways and deeds.”

Let the prophet who has a dream retell it, but let him who has My word speak it truthfully. For what is straw compared to grain?” declares the LORD.

“This is what the LORD says: Stand in the courtyard of the house of the LORD and speak all the words I have commanded you to speak to all the cities of Judah who come to worship there. Do not omit a word.

But you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns surround you, and you dwell among scorpions. Do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their presence, though they are a rebellious house. …

Behold, I will make your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. …

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from My mouth, give them a warning from Me. …

But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you are to tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says.’ Whoever listens, let him listen; and whoever refuses, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.

This is what the Lord GOD says: Clap your hands, stomp your feet, and cry out “Alas!” because of all the wicked abominations of the house of Israel, who will fall by sword and famine and plague.

Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, …

“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who only feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed their flock? …

They are to teach My people the difference between the holy and the common and show them how to discern between the clean and the unclean.

Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God, because the grain and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God. …

Let the priests who minister before the LORD weep between the portico and the altar, saying, “Spare Your people, O LORD, and do not make Your heritage a reproach, an object of scorn among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”

“Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before Me.”

Look to the mountains—the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your feasts, O Judah; fulfill your vows. For the wicked will never again march through you; they will be utterly cut off.

Then the LORD answered me: “Write down this vision and clearly inscribe it on tablets, so that a herald may run with it.

For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the LORD of Hosts.

Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.

As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’

Whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy there and stay at his house until you move on. …

Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

It is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!

What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops.

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me.

But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

But Jesus called them aside and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them. …

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

…and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

But it shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, …

And He said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in My name welcomes Me, and whoever welcomes Me welcomes the One who sent Me. For whoever is the least among all of you, he is the greatest.”

But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

You are witnesses of these things.

For the One whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.

Do you not say, ‘There are still four months until the harvest’? I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ripe for harvest. …

And you also must testify, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.”

When they had finished eating, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he answered, “You know I love You.” Jesus replied, “Feed My lambs.” …

Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

…beginning from John’s baptism until the day Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”

“Go, stand in the temple courts and tell the people the full message of this new life.”

So the Twelve summoned all the disciples and said, “It is unacceptable for us to neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables.

…and will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

And He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the One appointed by God to judge the living and the dead.

As they went from town to town, they delivered the decisions handed down by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.

One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking; do not be silent.

For I am with you and no one will lay a hand on you, because I have many people in this city.”

Keep watch over yourselves and the entire flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.

You will be His witness to everyone of what you have seen and heard.

‘But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen from Me and what I will show you. …

I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.

That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given you. …

Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that I do not remember if I baptized anyone else.

So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

Now it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.

Which do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and with a gentle spirit?

Yet when I preach the gospel, I have no reason to boast, because I am obligated to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

If my preaching is voluntary, I have a reward. But if it is not voluntary, I am still entrusted with a responsibility.

Not that we lord it over your faith, but we are fellow workers with you for your joy, because it is by faith that you stand firm.

Therefore, since God in His mercy has given us this ministry, we do not lose heart.

Instead, we have renounced secret and shameful ways. We do not practice deceit, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by open proclamation of the truth, we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, therefore all died.

All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God.

We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no one can discredit our ministry. …

Great is my confidence in you; great is my pride in you; I am filled with encouragement; in all our troubles my joy overflows. …

So even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did wrong or the one who was harmed, but rather that your earnestness on our behalf would be made clear to you in the sight of God.

And his affection for you is even greater when he remembers that you were all obedient as you welcomed him with fear and trembling.

As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you. As for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ.

For even if I boast somewhat excessively about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed.

And for the sake of your souls, I will most gladly spend my money and myself. If I love you more, will you love me less?

Have you been thinking all along that we were making a defense to you? We speak before God in Christ, and all of this, beloved, is to build you up.

I already warned you the second time I was with you. So now in my absence I warn those who sinned earlier and everyone else: If I return, I will not spare anyone,

This is why I write these things while absent, so that when I am present I will not need to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down.

Am I now seeking the approval of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Though I am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, …

And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,

…to equip the saints for works of ministry and to build up the body of Christ,

…for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it fearlessly, as I should.

Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.”

Instead, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, not in order to please men but God, who examines our hearts. …

You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous, and blameless our conduct was among you who believed. …

We sent Timothy, our brother and fellow worker for God in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith,

But we ask you, brothers, to acknowledge those who work diligently among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you.

And we have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do what we command.

As I urged you on my departure to Macedonia, you should stay on at Ephesus to instruct certain men not to teach false doctrines

…or devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculation rather than the stewardship of God’s work, which is by faith.

…that agrees with the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.

Timothy, my child, I entrust you with this command in keeping with the previous prophecies about you, so that by them you may fight the good fight,

…holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and thereby shipwrecked their faith.

For this reason I was appointed as a preacher, an apostle, and a faithful and true teacher of the Gentiles. I am telling the truth; I am not lying about anything.

By pointing out these things to the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished by the words of faith and sound instruction that you have followed.

But reject irreverent, silly myths. Instead, train yourself for godliness.

Let no one despise your youth, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. …

Do not rebuke an older man, but appeal to him as to a father. Treat younger men as brothers, …

Give these instructions to the believers, so that they will be above reproach. …

Do not entertain an accusation against an elder, except on the testimony of two or three witnesses. …

If anyone teaches another doctrine and disagrees with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and with godly teaching,

…he is conceited and understands nothing. Instead, he has an unhealthy interest in controversies and disputes about words, out of which come envy, strife, abusive talk, evil suspicions,

For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. …

Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy. …

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. …

And the things that you have heard me say among many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be qualified to teach others as well. …

Remind the believers of these things, charging them before God to avoid quarreling over words, which succeeds only in leading the listeners to ruin. …

But reject foolish and ignorant speculation, for you know that it breeds quarreling. …

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom:

Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction.

But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

As a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings, and a partaker of the glory to be revealed, I appeal to the elders among you: …

Therefore I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are established in the truth you now have. …