The Little Black Book An Apostolic Guide For New Ministers Of The Gospel [Paperback]

From the beginning, God has called leaders to serve His people. For God, Abraham left his homeland. Moses declined Egypt and its riches. Joshua destroyed Jericho. Elijah confronted King Ahab. Daniel faced the lions; and the James and John forsook their nets. Matthew left his customs booth. And Paul left a life of power and prestige. Despite their trials, these all found the venture satisfying. Pauls account of shipwreck, floggings, danger, and hardship glows with suffused excitement. He was having the time of his life! What if hed said no to Christ? Telling the Philippians about the things he had given up, Paul declared, I consider them rubbish. And why? That I may gain Christ and be found in him Philippians 3:8-9. We enjoy the same perspective, for through His Cross; Jesus opened not only the door of salvation for all who would accept, but the privilege of service as well. Jew, Greek, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free&all may serve the Lord Christ. Some were apostles. Some, prophets. Some will be evangelists, some pastors and teachers. All are for the equipping of the saints, for the work of service, to the building up of the Body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ Ephesians 4:12-13. For the Minister of the Gospel, each day offers a new challenge. The phone rings; we are summoned to the bedside of a dying man. Later in the day, we help arrange a marriage. That evening, we counsel a soul in trouble. No other vocation offers such a wide span of involvement with mankind. Then when we stand to preach, think of it&in our weak and human hands we hold the truth of God, the supreme answer to the souls of man. The ministry of Christ is not a job, not a profession. It is a calling, and the noblest&the most demanding and at times exasperating, but it is surely the most satisfying and rewarding experience human life afforlÕ