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In the Part One, we discussed the first three traits that must be identified with a genuine minister of the gospel.
First, he must be a servant of Christ Jesus; second, he must be divinely called and third, he must be placed in a ministry office.
In the Part Two, we wish to study the remaining three traits.
Fourth, he is set aside for the gospel.
“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, SET APART FOR FOR THE GOSPEL OF GOD” (Romans 1:1).
To be set aside for the gospel God is to be separated from other duties and placed in ministry for the sole purpose of preaching and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ.
In other words, he is expected to preach the Word of truth, the Word of reconciliation, the Word of righteousness or the Word of faith.
Simply, he is to preach the message of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the salvation of souls and the maturity of believers.
This means a genuine minister of the gospel of God has no business always preaching motivational messages aimed to excite people’s emotions.
He has only one message which is Christ Jesus. Thus, his heart and mind are fixed on the Lord, his master, alone with a willing determination to make Him known.
Fifth, he ministers by the Holy Spirit
“…those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven” (1 Peter 1:12).
Peter makes it clear that a genuine minister of the gospel serves by the Holy Spirit. Even Jesus Christ Himself ministered by the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
A person who preaches without the anointing may deliver messages that lack spiritual power, conviction, and transformative impact.
Without the Holy Spirit’s guidance, the words may be based purely on human intellect or effort, but they can feel empty or ineffective.
This kind of preaching may not touch the hearts of listeners or produce spiritual fruit, as the power of God is what truly brings life to the message.
The anointing brings the weight and authority of God to the preaching, making it more than just words but a channel of God’s grace and power.
Moreover, a person who preaches or teaches without the Spirit of Christ, backing him embarks on a dangerous mission.
He may be attacked, and often times overpowered and destroyed by evil spirits. The humiliation suffered by the seven sons of Sceva is an example (Acts 19:13-16).
Sixth, he must exhibit Christlike character.
In Matthew 11:29, Jesus instructs His servants to learn from Him, and those who do so will certainly conduct themselves like Jesus.
They will live a life of faith, truth, humility, gentleness and above all love. Love is the greatest.
They may not be perfect as the Lord is, but they will exhibit some Christlike character to prove their relationship with the Lord.
One day, Paul boasted of his Christlike character in the sense of living a blameless life when he wrote to the Corinthian church, saying:
“For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me” (1 Corinthians 4:4).
It must be emphasized, in conclusion, that genuine ministers of the gospel will always be different from charlatans, considering their relationship with Jesus Christ and the impact the Holy Spirit who dwells in them has had on their lives.
By James Quansah
