Thank you very much.

Let's pray together. Thank you very much.

Let's pray together.

Father, I pray that you would help me now to

pour gospel gasoline on Brian's message and on the others that have gone

before. My heart's desire has been that every message when we didn't know what each other would say would fit together for these brothers and sisters in a way that would be

powerful for moving them into the most fruitful, faithful ministry as possible.

And so I pray that I would be faithful now to your word,

that you would grant me a voice,

and that you would grant them ears to hear,

and hearts to be sensitive and responsive to whatever truth is spoken.

So come now and glorify Christ and strengthen our faith and intensify our affections for

you and advance your mission through the ministries represented here and call to yourself those who are not far from the kingdom but are not in it.

I ask this in Jesus' name, amen.

So my title is A Hunger for God,

a foundation for faithful and effective ministry.

Now, whether or not a hunger for God is a foundation, an essential foundation for a

faithful and effective ministry will depend on what you believe the goal of ministry is.

If you believe that the goal of

as I do, and I'll try to show you, that the goal of ministry

is the all satisfying gladness of your people's hearts in the glory of Christ

or in all that God is for them in Christ, then it will follow that your joy in Christ is an essential foundation for that ministry.

...