Five C’s Ministry Traits
Lesson 3
As ministers of the gospel we need to understand that God is continually looking at the issues of our heart. The yard stick that God measures us by is always faithfulness before skill or performance.
Here are just 5 vital traits necessary for ministry
1. Counting the cost (Am I willing to serve God)
Luk 14:27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Luk 14:28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?
Luk 14:29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him,
Luk 14:30 saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’
- The greatest challenge of serving is that God requires you to count the cost
- It will cost you your time, your effort, your energy, it could cost you financially
- I want to be very honest serving God will have a cost, there is always a cost
- Serving God always involves a sacrifice, but the flip side is that God always rewards sacrifice
- Steve Covey said, “The greatest life principle is start with the end in mind”.
- Don’t start something you’re not going to be able to finish
- Understand the commitment that is involved and required. Jos 24:14-15
- Wow what a powerful passage, serving God always begins out of a reverence for God that is demonstrated through faithfiulness
- If you get the opportunity to read this passage in verse 15 in several different translations, see what the different translations say about why people would not serve. A great online tool is https://www.biblegateway.com/
- It never ceases to amaze me how many people honestly believe it would be detrimental or undesirable to their lives, to their families if they choose to commit to give time to serving the plans and purposes of God, to serving the House of God
2. Competency (can you do the job)
Do you have the competency or skill to do what is required?
Competency: Is the ability to do something successfully or efficiently.
(Darby) 2 Tim 2:2 And the things thou hast heard of me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, such as shall be competent to instruct others also.
2Ti 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
- Again, this is why we do the gift assessment to find out what you are gifting in
- There is nothing worse than people serving outside their gifting or out of the giftedness.
- People serving in an area that they are out of their depth or competency. 1Ch 22:14-16
- God needs skilled workers to effectively build his house and His Kingdom 1Ch 25:6-7
- God requires skilled people, people that have the capacity or are willing to be equipped to do what is require MSG Eph 4:11-13
3. Character (can I trust you)
Your character is a mirror of your core beliefs
Luk 16:10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.
Character is something that can only be proven over a period of time
- So, if I ask you to do something and it doesn’t get done it is an issue of character
- If someone gives you a job to do, or a responsibility to accomplish, can we trust you to do what has been asked
- Because at the end of the day you could be the most talented person on the planet but if we can’t trust you to do what we have asked you to do then it is probably not going to work
- We have to understand that as believers we will stand before God one day and give an account of our stewardship. How we managed someone else’s resources.
Mat 25:21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
- Faithfulness obviously means to be trustworthy, loyal committed
- But it also means to be accurate in detail
- God is going to expect us to do what he has called us to do,
- At the end of the day character is really an issue of the heart. Pro 4:23
- Your morals, your convictions, your manners and your commitment are all issues of the heart.
- Most people start serving God out of gifting but fail because of character
- Your gift will get you in the door, but your character will keep you there.
I always find it interesting that Paul says the qualifications for an overseer, or a deacon are all character qualifications. 1Ti 3:8-13
4. Culture (do you fit in the team)
- Every church and every team have a culture. Culture simply means (this is how we do things here)
- We want to create an enthusiastic passionate spiritual culture in our church
- What we do not want to create is a hyper spiritual culture were anything goes
- We want to see God move, we want to see miracles, we want to see people move in their gifting, but we want them to flow in with the culture of the church. Rev 3:15-16
- Even God does not like half-hearted lukewarm people
- God is looking for passionate people that will represent his well and bring glory to His name. 1Pe 4:11
- The goal in serving is to see God glorified
- Culture = This is how we do it at Sound City
5. Capacity (can you grow with us)
Here is the challenge because every one of us have a certain capacity and it is vital that you know what that is and that we know what it is. Exo 18:21
- Everybody can grow but it is vital to understand your capacity (what am I capable of doing)
- Jethro recognised some people will be really good at managing 10 people some will be able to manage 50, some 100’s and some 1000’s
- Every one of us have different capacity when it comes to people and people skills, to gifting’s, to resources, when it comes to ability
- Every one of us have a different IQ intelligence quotient, and a different EQ Emotional quotient
- Some people have incredible tolerance and patience with people and are able to handle great capacity and stress, others are only able to carry a small capacity or load.
- God desires us all to be fruitful. Joh 15:1-2, 8
- It is possible to grow but it is vital to know your capacity
- Physically, spiritually emotionally, intellectually
- For me and Ali we believe that God has called SCC to be a large influential church and we have to continually ask ourselves, do we have the capacity to lead a growing church, in ministry we will be continually stretched. Luke 5:37-38
- Old wines skins do not stretch they just burst, but a new wine skin is flexible, it has plenty of give, it can be stretched, it can handle growth.
These are five very important traits for ministry
Counting the cost
Competency
Character
Culture
Capacity.