So many people announce themselves as servants of Christ that one might think it must be an attractive Job!
Now Jesus Himself has warned us that - especially in the ‘last days’ - many will come in His name who are self-seeking and do not genuinely want to serve God. This need not worry us in the least, for God has equipped His church with many gifts, one of which is the gift of discernment.
The Spirit of Christ has said to the messenger of the church in Ephesus, ‘I know (…) that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false’ (Revelation 2:2). But the gift of distinguishing between spirits (1 Corinthians 12:10) cannot possibly function if the Giver of this gift not ranks first in our lives anymore.
When the kingdom of God is no longer a reality in our lives, the things of this world become - once again - so important that our heart cannot be completely devoted to Him anymore. Our thoughts are distracted from Jesus and we no longer follow His directions, but instead we follow our own hearts and our own insights. This applies to all of us, whether we are elders or church-members.
Then we are delighted with people who are well-spoken or learned. But to those truly entrusted with the mysteries of the kingdom of God, it is required firstly to prove faithful. And we do not become faithful by studying theology or by taking a course on ‘speaking in public’, but by tests and trials, and by being treated scornfully.