Acts 13:1-3

Being marked 14 karat does not make it gold. For years, I bought and sold small collectables, antiques and jewelry for a living. One of the first lessons I learned was that dishonest people can and will counterfeit anything of value. If you are not an expert, it is easy to be deceived. I learned with time to tell the real from the fake for many items, and yet with all my knowledge I was still sometimes deceived.

The gospel has great value because of the difference it makes in the lives of those who respond to it with belief. Believers find themselves born again into a new life with glorious potential and possibilities. That new life in Christ is priceless. Like all things of great value, dishonest people can and will counterfeit the gospel and fake being born again. Not everyone labeled minister, preacher, teacher or evangelist is genuine. You cannot separate real from fake by titles, dress or speech, and you cannot trust your instincts.

Saul and Barnabas preached the genuine gospel of Christ. Even though the Holy Spirit ordained their ministry, it was the church that applied God’s seal of approval. People who proclaim the gospel as a full-time vocation, but who have no church ties, have no accountability. Accountability to God and the Holy Spirit alone is not enough; God wants us to be accountable to our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Ministers not only need organizational ties for the sake of accountability, they also need the support and prayer that a body of believers gives them. Before they went on their first missionary journey, the congregation at Antioch prayed for and laid hands on Saul and Barnabas. Prayer is powerful, and knowing that a congregation is praying for a ministry empowers that ministry.

The leadership of the church should be men and women full of the Holy Spirit, recognized, approved and supported by the church. The genuine minister of the gospel will have at least some church approval. Ministry is for shepherds, not for lone wolfs.