{mosimage}I praise God for our church and the work that He is doing in our valley.  And I am in awe of the many men currently in our body with ministry experience and/or ministry aspirations.  Prevalent in American culture is the concept of launching oneself into ministry work due to the "need."  I’m thankful that many of the men here want to be equipped and sent, rather than to simply ‘go.’

The ultimate test of a called man is whether he desires the advancement of the gospel more than the advancement of his own ministry.

That quote comes from a booklet I just read today.  I don’t remember how I discovered it, but a couple weeks ago I downloaded a PDF booklet entitled, "Am I Called?" (289kb).   It was a surprisingly lengthy and extremely well-written  treatise by Dave Harvey at Sovereign Grace Ministries.   It is one of the best things I’ve read on this topic in a while.  There are great nuggets of truth embedded throughout this document and should prove beneficial reading for all who love the church and want a better understanding of how full-time pastors and missionaries are to be raised up.