Christian Ministry

God's Good News
Faith in God's good news: the promise of the Messiah

[1] Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus and called to be an apostle, set apart for God’s good news

[2] which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,

[3] concerning his Son, who came to be from the offspring* of David according to the flesh,

[4] but who with power was declared God’s Son according to the spirit of holiness by means of resurrection from the dead—yes, Jesus Christ our Lord.

[5] Through him we received undeserved kindness and an apostleship+ with a view to obedience by faith among all the nations respecting his name,

[6] among which nations you also have been called to belong to Jesus Christ—

[7] to all those who are in Rome as God’s beloved ones, called to be holy ones:May you have undeserved kindness and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

[8] First of all, I give thanks to my God through Jesus Christ concerning all of you, because your faith is talked about throughout the whole world.

[9] For God, to whom I render sacred service with my spirit in connection with the good news about his Son, is my witness of how without ceasing I always mention you in my prayers,

[10] begging that if at all possible I may now at last succeed in coming to you by God’s will.

[11] For I am longing to see you, that I may impart some spiritual gift to you for you to be made firm;

[12] or, rather, that we may have an interchange of encouragement by one another’s faith, both yours and mine.

[13] But I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that many times I have intended to come to you—but I have been prevented until now—in order that I might acquire some fruitage also among you just as among the rest of the nations.

[14] Both to Greeks and to foreigners,* both to wise and to senseless ones, I am a debtor;

[15] so I am eager to declare the good news also to you there in Rome.

[16] For I am not ashamed of the good news; it is, in fact, God’s power for salvation to everyone having faith,+ to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

[17] For in it God’s righteousness is being revealed by faith and for faith, just as it is written: “But the righteous one will live by reason of faith.”

-Romans 1:1-17

Commissioned by God
Christians adequately qualified by God to minister

[1] Are we starting to recommend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some men, letters of recommendation to you or from you?

[2] You yourselves are our letter, inscribed on our hearts and known and being read by all mankind.

[3] For you are shown to be a letter of Christ written by us as ministers, inscribed not with ink but with the spirit of a living God, not on stone tablets but on fleshly tablets, on hearts.

[4] We have this sort of confidence toward God through the Christ.

[5] Not that we of ourselves are adequately qualified to consider that anything comes from us, but our being adequately qualified comes from God,

[6] who has indeed adequately qualified us to be ministers of a new covenant, not of a written code, but of spirit; for the written code condemns to death, but the spirit makes alive.

-2 Corinthians 3:1-6

Shine through darkness
Christian ministry in the face of unbelievers

[1] Therefore, since we have this ministry through the mercy that was shown us, we do not give up.

[2] But we have renounced the shameful, underhanded things, not walking with cunning or adulterating the word of God; but by making the truth manifest, we recommend ourselves to every human conscience in the sight of God.

[3] If, in fact, the good news we declare is veiled, it is veiled among those who are perishing,

[4] among whom the god of this system of things* has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that the illumination* of the glorious good news about the Christ, who is the image of God, might not shine through.

[5] For we are preaching, not about ourselves, but about Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake.

[6] For God is the one who said: “Let the light shine out of darkness,” and he has shone on our hearts to illuminate them with the glorious knowledge of God by the face of Christ.

-2 Corinthians 4:1-6