"Each one according to the gift he has received, minister it to the others, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 Peter 4:10)
Let us suppose that we had the opportunity to attend a Sunday service in a church with many members, and that after the service, which we liked, we could talk briefly with the pastor or one of the elders, in the following way:
How much I have enjoyed the time of praise! The congregation sang with joy, while the musicians gave the accompaniment that seemed perfect to me.
Is that all our musicians have passed exams related to the instruments they play.
I also noticed the desire of the children to go to their Sunday School classes when it was time to do it.
Yes. This church has a very competent team of teachers. All of them have obtained the title of Child Care, so we know that our children are in good hands. In fact, we have the rule that any member who wants to get involved in a ministry must study to obtain the corresponding diploma before being admitted to a ministerial team.
I do not know if there is a norm of this kind in any local church. What I do suspect is that some believers have been influenced by the worldly belief that a person is worth something only if he can prove it by means of an academic degree. Therefore, I think it is convenient to consider the theme of gifts and diplomas in the light of the Bible.
When the apostles of Jesus began to preach the Gospel, they did so on the basis of the power of the Holy Spirit that came upon them on the day of Pentecost. These men had not had the experience of studying in any rabbinic school, but, as the Jewish authorities recognized after questioning Peter and John, they were "men without letters" (Acts, chap. 4, v. 13).
Later, both Peter and Paul spoke in their epistles about the gifts that God gives to believers so that the work of the Gospel continues to advance in this world, but nowhere in his writings is there any reference to the need to add some academic knowledge to the use of the gifts.
Now, I do not want to give the impression of being against a believer conscious of a gift that God has given him, decide to study to obtain a title related to it. This can be very useful for such a person, if he has enough time and motivation to do so. However, I understand that God does not require that the use of a gift within a local church or any other Christian group be the result of having obtained a diploma. To be a "good administrator of the manifold grace of God", the believer must commit himself to putting his gifts at the service of his brothers in Christ for the glory of his Lord. When this commitment exists, both on the part of the believer who is qualified as well as on the part of the one who is not, the use of the gifts can bring much good fruit that drives the advancement of the Kingdom of God.
