As you travel to Allah, you will inadvertently face obstacles. I signed up . The punishment has been paid. But what do we see here? More growth and new challenges would come ahead. But in serving God, there will always be obstructions and hindrances. Try. Using television and the Internet, CBN is proclaiming the Good News in 149 countries and territories, with programs and content in 67 languages. You may not enjoy having to eat more high-fiber, low-fat, low-sugar, low-salt meals regularly, but the long term benefits do make it all worthwhile. Repent and believe right now! 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. This was a great thing happening. Paul belonged to Him alone, and so he lived to do the will of the Lord Jesus. 1) The Problem of Science Faith vs. Science is the perennial God-problem. 1. There is one good way to know whether you are spiritually well or not. Hebrews 4:12 states: His word is alive and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, able to pierce to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow and even able to judge the thoughts and the intentions of the heart. Gods Word is incredibly powerful and holds the key to many of our problems. Paul belonged to Him alone, and so he lived to do the will of the Lord Jesus. God was Pauls confidence that the Ephesian church would remain faithful. Michael Chriswell. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Do you find it hard? 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. Notify me by email when the comment gets approved. But not all the ministries would last forever in a church. 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. Solutions to obstacles: One gets to learn from the obstacles faced by other seekers and what they did to overcome the obstacles. To be faithful to the Word is to give our attention to thewholecounsel of God. The whole counsel of God also includes the need torepentof ones sins and to receive Christ not only as Saviour, but also asLord. One of the glories of God is that He left the majesty of heaven to have intimate relationship with us. If you are united to Jesus by faith, the anger is gone. If you do, you won't ever feel alone. Romans 12:1-2; Romans 6:13; James 4:7 NASB). These feelings can keep us paralyzed from dealing with the obstacles correctly. No! He was committed to obedience. By: Ysrael De la Cruz. Although the Lord Jesus commended them for guarding the flock well against false apostles, He also rebuked them:Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, becausethou hast left thy first love.(Revelation 2:4) Let us ask ourselves this question: Have you left your first love? Job eventually repents and is humbled before God. The Bible has scripture for every one of your needs. -- 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. Gods plan may seem confusing, unconventional, or mysterious at times, and especially when you are facing difficulty. -- James MacDonald #Church #Exclusion #Serving God So you can't lose serving God, and that all things work together for good. As followers of Jesus, we battle against difficulties, obstacles on our way to accomplishing Christ's mission in this world. During his third missionary journey, Paul spent most of his time in Ephesus, a city on the western coast of present-day Turkey. You can place your steadfast trust in Him. They see the ministry of the Word merely as a means to get what they, There is always a temptation for those who serve the Lord to get so busy and involved with serving that they neglect their own walk with God. We all want to know God and our Lord Jesus Christ better and He certainly wants us to know Him better. You can be secure in Gods love, which is a demonstrated, sacrificial, and caring love (John 3:16; 1 John 4:10, 19). knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. The fear of judgment keeps you from a rich relationship with God because you just cant believe that God can forgive your sin. . *A.W. But now we come to the question. 1. Jesus was able to recognize Satan in Peters words. We must always trust that God has a plan and He has a reason for allowing something to happen. Handling the problem: (v.2) However you can always count on God to support you. With this obstacle, we ask, Is it possible to trust God? When this question has been settled, we should then go on to another area that requires faithfulness fulfilling our God-given roles. Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it.(1 Thessalonians 5:23-24) May we all be greatly challenged through this to serve faithfully, by remaining Faithful to the Lord, Faithful to fulfill our God-given roles of service, and Faithful to the whole counsel of God, until our Lord Jesus Christ returns! Reach out and call Gods name. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes - the hope of the world hangs on it (Rom 1:16). 2. Verse Concepts. Unfortunately many would rather listen to a message that makes no demands on them at all, but offers them all the blessings of God they could ever wish to receive, like good health and wealth. Get to know others seeking Gods guidance and wisdom for life. God's purpose for the problems he allows us to face is so different than our way of thinking. No matter what problem is in your way, God is right beside you walking you through each step. Christian author A.W. The apostles remained faithful to the task of preaching and teaching Gods word. They made pledges and promises which they had every intention to keep at the beginning, but sadly they did not keep them in the end. 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. Now we shall read what Paul said to them, as recorded in Acts 20:17-35. In fact, faithfulness is the most important quality needed in serving the Lord. - 2 Timothy 1:1-18 By Pastor Mark Thomas on 10 April 2016 at the evening service. God wants you to open up about your fears, doubts and anxieties so He can help you overcome them. We must look to Him for all the help we need to remain faithful. 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. One great way to combat this is by spending more time at church with your fellow Christians. This can be seen in the call which He gave to the church of Smyrna in Revelation 2:10Be thoufaithfulunto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.It is also seen in the commendation which the servants received from the Lord in Matthew 25:21Well done, thou good andfaithfulservant: thou hast beenfaithfulover a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.. Desiring God partnered with Shane & Shanes The Worship Initiative to write short meditations for more than one hundred popular worship songs and hymns. How do we deal with these ongoing barriers in our lives? Earlier on we witnessed the addition of new members through baptism, reaffirmation of faith and transfer of membership. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. The most important requirement is to befaithful to the Lord. It is fascinating to study these spiritual gifts, but that is not within the scope of this sermon. Acts 6:1-7 "If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there will My servant be also. Preached at Life BPC 66th Anniversary service, 2016-10-16, As we thank God for His faithfulness today, let us be reminded that God requires faithfulness from us. And because man is so strategic to the advancement of the kingdom of God, Satan uses all kinds of. Everything a church does should fall under the umbrella of reaching the world with the gospel and making people into disciples. Many of us, however, get to a point of exhaustion and fatigue as we strive to do His will. Please check your information and try again or call us at 1-800-759-0700. Everything else comes after that. Please take time to read your Bible each day, and let God speak to you through His Word. Obstacles expose our weaknesses and increase our dependency upon Christ. What does God say about overcoming obstacles? Meditate on Scripture and you will know everything is going to be OK. 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. This gravity is like a built-in magnet that draws us toward controlling, creating, and manipulating. God continued to bless them by bringing more people into the community. (More people to deal with, more personality issues, cultural issues and so on). The experiential barriers are ongoing, and they can range from broken family relationships that make us reticent to trust or accept love to bad church experiences. It is God's will that we come to Him and serve. Many people will spend a lot of time trying to think and maneuver their way around obstacles . It means submitting to Him even when it doesn't make sense and serving others faithfully even when they don't appreciate our efforts. There is no way that you can escape from the fires of hell, unless you, Unfortunately many would rather listen to a message that makes no demands on them at all, but offers them all the blessings of God they could ever wish to receive, like good health and wealth. 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. No! Discover God's peace now. Serving God is not without challenges and difficulties. Persecution mobilized the church, and the food ministry came to an end. All you have to do is put your trust in Him. This means that we should not leave out any unpleasant teaching like the wrath of God and the existence of hell. Let us turn our Bibles now to Acts 20:28-35. Paul did not withhold any teaching of Gods Word from the Ephesians. We Never Heard Back. They wept, Gods pattern for his people! Biblical Truth #2) Trust in God for strength and wisdom to deal with the obstacles. This is what Paul declared at Ephesus. And so as Proverbs4:23says, you mustKeep [your] heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life., Unfortunately not everyone in Ephesus heeded Pauls exhortation to guard themselves. The enemy of God, the devil will not stop until he turns away the people who are drawing closer to God. Fast-forward now to a time about 40 years later, and we find this commendation that Christ gave to this church in Revelation 2:2I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: andthou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars.The elders had faithfully kept watch over their flock and had exposed the false teachers who tried to subvert the flock. Fourth, Psalm 1 says that successful people do not get tangled up with negative, wicked, or limiting people. We serve the same God who said: "And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. Paul would never think of himself apart from the Lord Jesus. These verses will strengthen your faith in God. Within that time, Paul put in all his efforts to fulfill his role in several ways: Public teaching is mentioned in v.20 , But Paul did not expect the elders of Ephesus to do what he did, because they had a, Did the Ephesian elders fulfill their role well? But this one thing we know:God is faithful! And therefore weve bunkered down into a Christian life solely about survival. This is similar to how the higher law of aerodynamics supersedes the lower law of gravity for a hang glider. Please take time to read your Bible each day, and let God speak to you through His Word. That sounds crazy because rejection is not easy. Thats why Christ also sent the Holy Spirit to work within each believer. Acts 6:1-7 By: Ysrael De la Cruz The church of Jesus Christ has faced huge challenges throughout it existence and will continue to face challenges until Jesus comes back Others have been blessed with spiritual gifts of faith, administration, discernment, hospitality, giving, mercy, or encouragement. Thats why his discourse ends by saying, If Christ has purchased His Church at such great cost to Himself, do you think He will leave its fate to be determined by the changing hearts of men? And so as Proverbs, Unfortunately not everyone in Ephesus heeded Pauls exhortation to guard themselves. Now we shall read what Paul said to them, as recorded in Acts 20:17-35. When Paul wrote his epistle to the Philippians some time later, he said,I count all things but lossfor the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.(Philippians 3:8). Will we be able to do these things well? The first and biggest obstacle to you and me enjoying all the benefits of God's Grace is you (and me). He gave us a once-for-all sacrifice and he gives us never-ceasing intercession. Growing in Christ wont be without struggles. More growth was taking place. These feelings can keep us paralyzed from dealing with the. The problem: a complaint from the Grecian Jews (Hellenistic Jews). As a Christian, its important to not let your obstacles in life tear you away from your faith. 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. Opt in to receive news and updates. Much as we have faith in God and promise to maintain closeness to God at all times, there are few things that will give friction to us in the way of our Christian life to love God at all times. In the following paragraphs, I have listed 10 common things that can interfere with our walk with God. 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. The Bible says that the church is like a human body. However with God, your biggest setbacks can become your biggest comebacks. To recognize and prepare for these common obstacles can be half of the battle to overcome them. These obstacles can be as basic as being stuck in a numbers mentality, or as complex as generational patterns of viewing pastors as the only ones capable of experiencing God. Whatever Peter said to Jesus did not support Gods plan. They came to provide comfort and sympathy to him. Leaders should empower others to serve and not overwhelm themselves with every ministry. The Third Sunday in Lent Sermon starts at 14:15 in recording Service Booklet All Readings Gospel: John 2:13-22 13 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.14In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money-changers seated at their tables. The particular, electing love of God from before the foundation of the world is the reason why anyone becomes a Christian. (Hebrews 10:1922). Discover short videos related to mike todd obstacles and serving god on TikTok. This then is what it means toserve the Lord with allhumilityof mind.The Lords interests must always come first. Matthew 17:20 ESV / 89 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful As a result of this they become spiritually weak, they fall into sin and become ineffective in their service. Fear is connected with obedience, as the wise man said, " Fear God and keep His commandments " (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Genesis 50:20 - But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Fear and faith cannot co-exist, and they battle for space within us. If Jesus had to endure them, so do we. Christ went to Jerusalem towards the end of His earthly ministry, despite, The apostle Paul would have disagreed with them very strongly. Challenges in serving God. Are we a biblical people, or do we just get our truths from our emotions or non-emotions? With God, you can move from being a victim to being a victor. The Emotional Barrier: Is It Safe to Trust God? We dont know for sure. Serving God is one of the greatest things we have been given by the Lord to do. He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.". After our conversion, our inner person matures and grows, but our flesh is neither removed nor improved. There are many things, in fact, that might deter you from a rich relationship with God, but two in particular are worth mentioning: 1) the fear of judgment and 2) the fear of disappointment. 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. Gods people are to be molded or conformed by Gods pattern and not the worlds pattern. 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. In Pauls discourse we can see how greatly concerned he was that the Ephesian church should remain faithful. Watch on Hey! Living for Godwhy is it so difficult? About10 years laterwhen Timothy was pastoring the church at Ephesus, Paul wrote to him:Holding faith, and a good conscience;which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck.(1 Timothy1:19) And so, not wanting this to happen to his young co-worker, Paul gave him the very same exhortation that he gave to the Ephesian elders. Look at what he said in v.33,34, When this question has been settled, we should then go on to another area that requires faithfulness , Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of, Three years was actually the longest time that Paul served in one city throughout all his missionary journeys This was because of its strategic location in reaching out to the whole province of Asia. He said, "you cannot serve both God and money.". Thats why Christ also sent the Holy Spirit to work within each believer. God would use any thing to mobilize his people when they get inwardly focused and neglect to fulfill his mission in the world. Materialism. First, the apostles identified their main priority. But its not that simple. How do we trust and submit to God? Satan could not stop the growth of the church through outside influence. For greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.". (v.6) Within that time, Paul put in all his efforts to fulfill his role in several ways: Public teaching is mentioned in v.20 and havetaughtyou publickly, and from house to house.Testifyingboth to the Jews and also to the Greeksis mentioned in v.21. But no matter what happens they would always have Gods Word with them to build them up, as long as they continued to study it. In chapter 6 Satan tried to distract the apostles from their main mission. If you want to remain faithful, you must give sufficient time to the study of Gods Word. Paul then left Ephesus to visit all the churches he had planted in Macedonia and Achaia during his previous missionary journey. Paul was telling them to take heed untothemselvesfirst, in order toremain fitto guard the flock. Then Satans strategy changed; he began to attack the church from the inside. He said,neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received ofthe Lord JesusIn v.22,23 Paul says,And now, behold,I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying thatbonds and afflictions abide me., Paul was heading for Jerusalem in obedience to the Lords direction for him, despite knowing the awful trials he would have to face there. 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. The answer to this is that our confidence must ultimately be placed in God. Stephen was murdered, Philip and the rest had to leave. This is mentioned in vv.26,27 where Paul said,Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. As a result of this they become spiritually weak, they fall into sin and become ineffective in their service. Will we be able to do these things well? "Serve the Lord" Men's hearts are naturally atheistical, they will not endure the thought of God. Doesnt this remind us of what our Lord Himself did? 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. Psalm 32:11, "Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!". God created us in his own image and likeness Gen. 1:27-28. Therefore, Jesus said to Peter Get behind me Satan. 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