There are obstacles in our way. Using television and the Internet, CBN is proclaiming the Good News in 149 countries and territories, with programs and content in 67 languages. Paul belonged to Him alone, and so he lived to do the will of the Lord Jesus. Paul did not say, , If anyone here is still unsaved, please listen to this carefully, because it is part of Gods whole counsel . -- James MacDonald #Church #Exclusion #Serving God So you can't lose serving God, and that all things work together for good. 6. To draw near. This helps to shift your perspective and gain the confidence needed to know you can handle it with Gods help. Serving God is what we were made to do as his creatures, but our service has been corrupted by our sin and rebellion which has rendered us unable to please him. In v.24 he reveals how willing he was to deny self in serving the Lord. This issue needed the attention of the apostles before it would escalate. The point is that God is behind this. In Pauls discourse we can see how greatly concerned he was that the Ephesian church should remain faithful. They wept, Gods pattern for his people! However, this didnt stop the gospel; the believers continued to be strong in their faith amid persecution and their number continued to increase. Will we be able to do these things well? (It is not right that we give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. (ESV) We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. This email address is being protected from spambots. Colossians 3:24. By: Ysrael De la Cruz. Christ went to Jerusalem towards the end of His earthly ministry, despiteknowingthat He would be betrayed, condemned to death, humiliated and crucified there (Matthew 20:18,19). Tozer, Root of the Righteous (Harrisburg, PA: Christian Publications, 1955), p. 156. Thats why Christ bestowed all the spiritual gifts which the Church needs for service. Hebrews 7:25 tells us, Jesus is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. He is always praying for us, always fueling the furnace of our faith. If we allow fear to take over, then faith gets pushed aside. Without the proclamation and teaching of Gods words disciples are not developed. Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.He worked as a tent-make, to provide not only for his own needs, but for the needs of others as well. "If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there will My servant be also. (NLT). He is patient toward us, always showing his mercy toward us, always deals with us in his steadfast love. One of the ways we can serve God is by helping his children, our brothers and sisters, through paying a tithing and a generous fast offering. . Right beside the foundation of Jesuss death in our place is this glorious picture of Jesus praying for us. Living for Godwhy is it so difficult? For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.The counsel of God here refers to the complete Word of God which we now have in the 66 books of the Bible. Seven times in the book of Hebrews, the author captures the heart of Christianity in a simple, wonderful command: draw near. May this occasion also be a time for each of us to search our own hearts with this question: Are you more faithful to the Lord or to yourself? Theres really nowhere else to go, as the apostle Peter said, for true life eternal life is with Him alone. But not all the ministries would last forever in a church. In the midst of difficulty and temptation, were told to come closer. Here are four reasons it makes sense to trust God, as the holder of this higher reason and truth: If you overcome the emotional and intellectual barriers, one barrier remains: the volitional barrier. Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, This shows that Jesus was a very big part of Pauls life. We Never Heard Back. - Watch past sessions at https://mcceastbay.org/obstaclesEvery Muslim is on a journey to Allah. It requires a true heart in full assurance of faith. This is a full and rich and satisfying relationship one that is more real to us than anything else. Please take time to read your Bible each day, and let God speak to you through His Word. Remind yourself that this isthe word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.". But what do we see here? In the earlier chapters of Acts we had seen that some are called to serve as deacons, some as evangelists, and some as teachers. Faithfulness to the Lord demands this attitude in our service:He must increase, and we must decrease., It is sad that many who serve today arenotinterested in decreasing. But there is still so much more that needs to be done as we move forward as a church into our 67thyear. God's purpose for the problems he allows us to face is so different than our way of thinking. John 12:26 says. But what if they aren't enemies? Biblical Truth #2) Trust in God for strength and wisdom to deal with the obstacles. As the people contemplated God's instructions, they faced the challenge . It is fascinating to study these spiritual gifts, but that is not within the scope of this sermon. They would rather increase in fame and fortune. Three obstacles keep us from coming to Christ, and these are the same barriers that keep us from yielding to, trusting in, and submitting to Him on an ongoing basis. If you are stuck in a pit of despair, dont let yourself give up. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. Were to make a choice to make up our mind whether to trust and serve God or not, and then act accordingly. The preaching and teaching of Gods word. The world tells us, Take charge! You are the master of your own destiny, and God helps those who help themselves. This kind of advice flies in the face of the Bibles urgings to submit to God, trusting and yielding ourselves to Him (cf. How do we keep doing all these things until we reach the end? Get more than a Sunday sermon. For example, if you are struggling to cope with a bad breakup, you can replace your sadness by focusing on the love God has for you. These are so easy to obtain on-line. Image Credit: Hero Images/Hero Images/Getty Images. These men were presented to the apostles who prayed and laid their hands on them. True friends! It is difficult while we have evil habits and affections lingering about us, and it is impossible so long as we cling to these voluntarily. A church may have a great number of ministries or services. With God, you can move from being a victim to being a victor. When the church began by the preaching of the apostles; It was primarily Jewish, but it didnt take long for it to become more diverse. The once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus has completely absorbed Gods anger towards us. Paul was faithful in his role as achurch-planter, testifying of the Gospel of the grace of God wherever he went. Desiring God partnered with Shane & Shanes The Worship Initiative to write short meditations for more than one hundred popular worship songs and hymns. He is not a Father running to meet you, but one waiting to punish you. Christ went to Jerusalem towards the end of His earthly ministry, despite, The apostle Paul would have disagreed with them very strongly. For the past 66 years, we have seen how faithful God is to provide, preserve and protect us so marvelously despite all our weaknesses, faults and our little faith. They would rather increase in fame and fortune. They even say,Surely God wants His servants to have the very best!, The apostle Paul would have disagreed with them very strongly. Everything a church does should fall under the umbrella of reaching the world with the gospel and making people into disciples. When I started cultivating a relationship with God, there were obstacles I had to overcome; barriers that suppressed my motivation to seek God as He calls us to. Notice how verse 19 begins, Therefore, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus. He means that we have access to God now because Jesus died in our place. There an be obstacles in our spiritual walks, too, and sometimes we place them; sometimes we embrace them - addiction to television, busyness, overextending ourselves, video games Identify and address your obstacles. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. They really piss me off. Please take time to read your Bible each day, and let God speak to you through His Word. The writer to the Hebrews commands us to draw near to God. Many of us feel like we need to take a break from all the work we do for God. Acts 6:1-7 It is also full of examples of how God has helped others overcome their obstacles. His praying is mentioned no less than seven times in the Book of Acts. 15Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He has the ability, power, and strength to help you overcome any obstacle in life. God allowed this to happen to mobilize the church from becoming inwardly focused. Download. If you are united to Jesus by faith, the anger is gone. Money from tithing is used to build God's kingdom upon the earth. He feels supreme love for One whom he has never seen, talks familiarly every day to Someone he cannot see, expects to go to heaven on the virtue of Another, empties himself in order to be full, admits he is wrong so he can be declared right, goes down in order to get up, is strongest when he is weakest, richest when he is poorest, and happiest when he feels the worst. Jesus has said, when you are faithful in a few things, God puts you in charge o many more things. If Jesus had to endure them, so do we. Discover short videos related to mike todd obstacles and serving god on TikTok. A spiritual war is taking place. If youre not turned toward Him now, will you take a moment right now to yield to His Spirit once again or maybe even for the first time? The Bible says eternal life is to "know God and His one and only Son." As I made the transition from knowing about God for 19 years, to actually . But if we withhold our worship, we are saying: We know better than God. No! That sounds crazy because rejection is not easy. Serving God means obeying and enjoying our relationship with God as our Heavenly Father. The Bible has scripture for every one of your needs. Trusting God gives us a better perspective a mindset focused on a higher truth (Isaiah 55:7-9; Proverbs 14:12). As you travel to Allah, you will inadvertently face obstacles. The confused are those who have health, know Self-Realization is the purpose of life, have food, clothing and shelter, but find excuses to run after other things endlessly. Whatever Peter said to Jesus did not support Gods plan. They were appalled when they saw the severe suffering Job was experiencing. Required fields are marked *. This is because the fear of God is a foundation. Christians are called to make disciples, but we are not capable of changing people. Growth is great, but with much growth comes great challenges as well. This letter exhorts us to persevere, and this profound call to draw near to God is right at the heart. He said, "you cannot serve both God and money.". Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. . This morning we will see how the apostle Paul highlights the need for faithfulness in Gods service to the Ephesian elders by his example and his exhortations. We Must Obey God Rather than Men (Acts 5:12-42) by, Gods Wisdom and Requirements for Church Leadership (Acts 6:1-7) by, Stephen-A Man of Faith (Acts 6:5, 7:54-8:3) by, Acts 20:17-35 - The Challenge to Serve Faithfully, Mailing Add: 10 Gilstead Road Singapore 309064. The particular, electing love of God from before the foundation of the world is the reason why anyone becomes a Christian. At a camp in North Carolina, the high ropes course has a trapdoor at the end. They came to provide comfort and sympathy to him. -- Jack Hyles #People #Needs #Serving God Church was never intended to be a place where we serve God to the exclusion of meeting with Him. The whole body suffers! CBN is a global ministry committed to preparing the nations of the world for the coming of Jesus Christ through mass media. And so as Proverbs, Unfortunately not everyone in Ephesus heeded Pauls exhortation to guard themselves. Remember, rather than call the equipped, God seems to like to equip the called. There is one thing that everyone can do that is to pray. God has to earn our favor. Much of the ministry of Jesus was devoted to correcting bad teaching; see, for example, Matthew 5:21 on murder, 5:27 on adultery, and 5:33 on oaths. God will help you knock down that wall in front of you. Meditate on Scripture and you will know everything is going to be OK. Picture this scenario: people complaining that others were being shown special favor in the distribution. Perhaps some of us may have certain limitations that prevent us from serving. He dies so he can live, forsakes in order to have, gives away so he can keep, sees the invisible, hears the inaudible, and knows that which passeth knowledge.*. And it is the Holy Spirit who made the elders fit for their role as overseers, so that the flock would be well fed. Their widows were being overlooked or neglected in the daily distribution of food. While he was there, Paul sent a messenger to Ephesus (which is about 40 km away) to call the elders of the church to come for a conference with him, as he believed that he would never see them again. A preacher was once heard yelling, Oh, [expletive]! on the way down. If you handle the small things, God brings you big things to handle. According to 2 Timothy 3:16All scriptureis given by inspiration of God, and isprofitablefor doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.All scripture is profitable not just some of it or most of it, but All of it. The answer is simple, but not necessarily easy. they did not let this issue distract them from their mission. Ask God for strategies to replace a negative habit with a positive, faith-filled habit. Obstacles expose our weaknesses and increase our dependency upon Christ. They help us see how strong and powerful our God is. 4. We see in God's dealings with people, that in almost all cases, God uses the obstacles/difficulties and overcoming them, as a means to inculcate great character in people and to prepare them and use them for great purposes. Because the call of God is heaven bound, Satan opposes it with all the weapons in his arsenal. Satan began to attack the church through severe persecution. (praise and worship, teaching ministries, financial ministry, homeless ministry, recovery ministry, jail ministry, outreach ministry, cleaning ministry, building maintenance , food pantry, missions ministry, and so forth). Choosing our own way over Gods is always a losing option. Now we shall read what Paul said to them, as recorded in Acts 20:17-35. Get FREE "He Cares for You" teaching sheet, Build up your faith as you meditate on inspiring Scripture verses of how much God loves you, "It's not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.". To move in. The role of these church elders is basically to look after the flock of God as shepherds by providing them with spiritual food and protecting them from spiritual predators. Jesus Tells Us to Love the Lord Yes, our pain and our disappointments are real and valid. How do we trust and submit to God? Have you seen how crazy my life is? This is a fear that doesnt tempt us to stop believing; it tempts us to forfeit a life of intimacy with Jesus because we just dont think that kind of life is possible for us. It is acceptable to have feelings of anger at God when hard things of life happen. The church needs your effectual fervent prayers! We all want to know God and our Lord Jesus Christ better and He certainly wants us to know Him better. In addition to natural gravity, Satan uses the same methods repeatedly and they work much of the time. If we struggle with either of these obstacles, Hebrews 10 speaks up with the good news that Jesus abolishes both fears at the cross. Copyright 2023 Staten Island Christian Church. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Gods people are to be molded or conformed by Gods pattern and not the worlds pattern. It means submitting to Him even when it doesn't make sense and serving others faithfully even when they don't appreciate our efforts. As God reveals His plan to you, you will be able to better understand how to overcome the obstacles in your way, or Gods reasons for putting them there. "How pleased the Lord must have been when Abraham did as he was instructed, without question and without wavering.". Which way are you turned? The devil is always looking out for opportunities to gain a foothold in your heart and make you fall. And because man is so strategic to the advancement of the kingdom of God, Satan uses all kinds of. 3 Obstacles to Living God's Will for Your Life | Forward Progress MichaelKelley.co About Blog Contact Resources Bible Study Church Family Work MichaelKelley.co About Blog Contact Resources Mitragyna Speciosa Kratom guides: learn more Kratom resource: kratom.org Kratom vendors: read kratom reviews Best kratom: top strains for pain relief This is the goal of the Christian, and everything in life, including the trials and tribulations, is designed to enable us to reach that goal. 9) 1 John 4:4 "Little children, you are of God, and have overcome them. Thus we have seen that Paul and the Ephesian elders were faithful in fulfilling their respective God-given roles. God made it possible for you to know. (Food pantry ministry). Listen now to what he said at the end of v.24 so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.Paul knew exactly what role the Lord wanted him to fulfill: He was to testify ofthe Gospel of the grace of God. More Ken Boa on Trusting God in Turbulent Times. Here are 4 ways to find contentment in Christ: #1 Accept rejection. Trusting God gives us direction (Proverbs 3:5-6). The devil is always looking out for opportunities to gain a foothold in your heart and make you fall. But what needs to be impressed on us is that, Now, besides faithfulness to the Lord and faithfulness to fulfill our God-given roles, there is another area where faithfulness is required of us. Jesus isnt appealing to the irrational, but to a higher truth. But its not that simple. Galatians 5:16 (NASB) calls us to walk in the Spirit. The Greek word for walk, peripateo, means to walk around, to conduct oneself. Walking is a step-by-step process, a sequencing process of behaving habitually. Has your love for the Lord grown cold? But God has something to say. We imagine that if God is putting us through something, he expects us to accomplish his will. And so, in order to be faithful to the Word, we need to declare all of it thewholecounsel of God. It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Let us therefore be faithful toChristin all our service. We can focus and realign our thinking through prayer, daily devotions and meditation. Serving God is not without challenges and difficulties. But everywhere the disciples of Jesus went, they preached the gospel, and more communities were born in different towns. This doesnt happen automatically. You think a person as messed up as you just isnt supposed to be close to God. You may be diligent in feeding others, but you also need to, If you want to remain faithful, you must give sufficient time to the study of Gods Word. When we study Scripture and see what God asks us to do to fulfill His purpose, eventually we find there are obstacles to God's will. Extrinsic Challenges The church, since the time of Paul, has had to confront philosophies that challenge God's existence, and deny the Christology of Jesus. Materialism. Growing in Christ wont be without struggles. Let us look now at three exhortations which he gave to them elders from v.28 onwards to see how we can remain faithful. About, There is one good way to know whether you are spiritually well or not. You can be secure in Gods love, which is a demonstrated, sacrificial, and caring love (John 3:16; 1 John 4:10, 19). We have already read the first 11 verses of the passage during the responsive reading. Here are seven ways you can rely on God to help you break down and overcome the challenging obstacles that are standing in your way: Focus on God's power rather than on the size of your problem . These seven men will oversee the ministry of distribution of food. Look at your, If it has, one way to restore it is build yourself up spiritually. Through his faithful teaching, and testifying to Jews and Greeks, and preaching the kingdom of God, and warning the Christians against false teaching, the Ephesian church was firmly established on a strong foundation. " The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge " and " wisdom " (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10). You inevitably will be faced with moments in life that seriously challenge you. A very sermon in the current challenge of CIVID-19, which should not deter the preaching of the Word of God. Thats why Christ also sent the Holy Spirit to work within each believer. Prayer is the best way to communicate one-on-one with God. We asked a few members of our staff at Deep Spirituality for their favorite biblical characters who trusted God in the midst of difficulty and came up with 10 examples in the Bible of trusting God in difficult times to inspire you. In v.24 he reveals how willing he was to deny self in serving the Lord. The apostles would give their attention to prayer and the preaching of the word.