Faith Bible Blog

{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.

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{mosimage}It started with the tsunami in Asia, then Katrina hit, followed by Wilma, and somewhere in the midst of it Pakistan sufffered a devestating earthquake in which 73,000 people are estimated dead.  What’s a Christian to do??  To who and how much should we give?  It seems that this year in particular, people are being called on to help many across the world who’ve been afflicted by natural disasters.

Al Mohler published some helpful guidelines back in October that are worth reading through in full.  The short version is:

1. Give where the need for your gift is greatest and the impact of your gift will be clearest.
2. Give through organizations you can trust to distribute funds honestly, strategically, equitably, and with the lowest overhead expenses.
3. Give through organizations that are fully accountable to the Christian church.
4. Give where your heart is directed through prayer and informed awareness.
5. Give where the Great Commission impact is a priority.
6. Use this decision-making process as a way to teach your children to give.

Read the article to hear some of these helpfully expanded on.  Also check out www.ministrywatch.com to investigate any relief organization you have questions about or interest in.  Near the top of the page, you can search for a particular ministry and learn a great deal about them and how they handle money.

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Don’t know how you feel about trick-or-treating, but the subject of Halloween is typically a controversial issue among Christians.  Tim Challies wrote a great article describing the tension for the believer.  His salt-and-light approach deserves consideration.

Read ‘The Inevitable Halloween Discussion‘

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{mosimage}Spent a fair bit of Tuesday getting a streaming music player operational for our website.  You can now go to the worship page and open an audio player that will stream our worship music to you while you surf.  (It also allows you to download the music for offline listening.)  Look for the red ‘Play Music!’ link.

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I happened to come across a funny (and interesting) article on John Wesley by a recent biographer of him.  It’s entitled: 10 Things You’d Hate About John Wesley and 10 Things He’d Hate About You.  It’s a pretty comical read that shares some lesser known facts about him while educating you about the kind of man that founded primitive Methodism.

Here’s a sample to whet your appetite:

1. Despotism – Even Wesley’s own preachers called him "Pope
John". He ruled his followers like an enlightened despot, and his
beloved brother Charles plotted to "break his power". John expected
every Methodist society to follow his rules like a McDonalds franchise,
and took personal charge over every member’s private life, expelling them
for laziness or selling spirits.

2. Superstition – He saw rain storms as God’s punishment on
him – or the Devil’s attack. He made decisions by opening the Bible at
random for God’s guidance, and even decided whether to marry by pulling
bits of paper out of a hat. 

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