Eager to Serve

For 31 years, Ray Galea pastored Multicultural Bible Ministry, a thriving church in Sydney’s western suburbs. Raising up and developing leaders is key to what God is doing there, with hundreds of people taking their next step in gospel ministry at MBM. In Eager to Serve, we read of the shared experiences of Ray and his team, guided by the book of Philippians. Ray teaches us what God says in Philippians about the nature of Christian ministry and partnership in the gospel, pausing along the way with the stories of real people in gospel service.

Eager to Serve is perfect for anyone considering giving themselves to the world of full-time ministry. Ray sticks close to God’s word, examining life through its lens, and paints an excellent portrait of the highs and lows of ministry life. This is a resource that will help many decide if vocational gospel work is also for them.

“I’m addicted to the joy of seeing gospel work multiply in others. And I’m convinced of its importance: there’s only one of me, but when I partner with others by multiplying gospel workers, I can be part of the gospel growing and bearing fruit far more widely. What a joy! Some of you are aware of having this joy, while others are conscious that you used to have it. Still others don’t know what I am talking about. Wherever you are, don’t stress: the letter to the Philippians will help us all to find this joy, or to find it again.”—Ray Galea

Ray Galea served for over 30 years as Senior Minister of Multicultural Bible Ministry (MBM), Rooty Hill Anglican Church, which was planted in 1991. He now serves as Lead Pastor of Fellowship Dubai. He is the author of Nothing in My Hand I Bring, God is Enough and From Here to Eternity. Ray loves spending time with his children and grandchildren, listening to music, getting to know people from different cultures, watching movies, playing guitar to no-one but himself, reading, and eating international cuisine. He has a new-found love for running that he can’t explain.

"Ray Galea has written an engaging and deeply personal book about the call upon every Christian to ministry. Based on Philippians and including short testimonies from a range of interesting people, it is both encouraging and challenging. It was a blessing to read it."

—Peter Jensen, former Anglican Archbishop of Sydney

"This is a great book for all Christians, especially followers of Jesus who are eager to serve him. Ray, in his usual warm and relational manner, invites us to serve God willingly and gladly, and in deeper ways. Eager to Serve is so readable, even for those who don’t read. Littered with anecdotes and testimonies from God’s work at MBM, we are exhorted to see that our lives are fundamentally changed by the cross and that now, following in Jesus’ footsteps, “every decision you make in your life will be a point at which you will either descend into greatness or ascend into self-centred oblivion”. This means different things for different people, of course. Ray takes us on a journey that will reignite our clarity that Jesus changes everything. This passion is so often the missing piece. I commend Eager to Serve to all."

—Raj Gupta, Senior Pastor, St Paul’s Anglican Carlingford and North Rocks, Sydney and Senior Consultant, Centre for Ministry Development, Moore Theological College, Sydney

"This is one of the best 20 books I have read in my life. Ray takes us for a deep scuba dive into the divine waters of Philippians. The pages drip with his decades of ministry experience and each chapter ends with profound prayers, wonderful reflection questions, and inspiring personal testimonies."

—Ben Pfahlert, National Director, Ministry Training Strategy, Australia

"Ray and Sandy are a formidable team in ministry, and God has used them in powerful ways—locally, nationally and internationally. But their ministry has been so impactful because it’s always been about Jesus, and it’s never been limited to them; it’s about multiplying gospel work and gospel workers. With its grounding in Philippians, Eager to Serve offers a reminder of what and who captured us in the first place, alongside practical examples. It will challenge us all to rethink our lives and ministries so that we will see the next generation of Christian leaders and churches mobilized and equipped to give their lives for the sake of Christ and his gospel."

—Derek Hanna, Director of Church Planting, Geneva Push, Australia

"My only problem with this book is that I wish Ray had written it decades ago. There are so many people I would like to have given it to over the years. I’m looking forward to handing Eager to Serve to many people in the future. There are three gospel hearts beating to this book. The first is Ray Galea himself, who has been a gospel preacher for over 30 years. The second is the apostle Paul: Ray shows us the heart of the apostle, who wrote to the Philippians about the urgency of the gospel. Both these men point us to the book’s real heart: the heart of Jesus, whose heart for the lost led him to the cross. This book is a clear and passionate call to commit our lives to serving the one who gave his life for us, so we might live for him and for others. There’s a clarity, an urgency and a compassion for the lost who need to know Jesus."

—Al Stewart, National Director, Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches Australia

"Ray has distilled lessons from 30 years of pastoral ministry and longer walking with Jesus into this lovely book. Helpful pastoral wisdom, grounded in the book of Philippians, tumbles from every page. It renewed my eagerness and is a helpful and realistic spur to young men and women considering full-time gospel ministry."

—Matt Fuller, Vicar, Christ Church Mayfair, London