Serving God is not without challenges and difficulties. As a Christian, its important to not let your obstacles in life tear you away from your faith. You inevitably will be faced with moments in life that seriously challenge you. Growing in Christ wont be without struggles. Hard times expose our pride, because they highlight our need for God and for others. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. This is His purpose of why we were created and the reason why we are here on earth. We must continue to work together tobuild a united church family that is committed to making disciples through Salvation, Sanctification and Service to the glory of God. 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. 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). We have already read the first 11 verses of the passage during the responsive reading. 3980 Victory Blvd. Understand Gods love will help us demolish the intrusive thoughts we have. 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.. A very sermon in the current challenge of CIVID-19, which should not deter the preaching of the Word of God. 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. The writer to the Hebrews commands us to draw near to God. The punishment has been paid. Romans 1:25. For them to enter the Promised Land, they would have to trust God to bring them through this raging river. They must be placed well above our own personal pursuits and interests. He has the ability, power, and strength to help you overcome any obstacle in life. 1) The Problem of Science Faith vs. Science is the perennial God-problem. Seven times in the book of Hebrews, the author captures the heart of Christianity in a simple, wonderful command: draw near. These are so easy to obtain on-line. The writer tells us . We ought to do our best to remain faithful, but what if our best is not good enough? The whole body suffers! One of the greatest obstacles many Christians have is simply serving the Lord. Oswald Chambers writes, "If a man cannot get through to God, it is because there is a secret thing he does not intend to give up." This involves a stubborn refusal to turn away from a hidden sin. Overcoming Obstacles to Serving. Philippians 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. What does God say about overcoming obstacles? I hope that everyone who is serving in any ministry of Life Church will take this exhortation seriously Guard yourself! 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? 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. Yes they certainly did. 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. Will we be able to do these things well? Your email address will not be published. (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. But what do we see here? But Jesus was the sacrifice for us. The enemy of God, the devil will not stop until he turns away the people who are drawing closer to 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. John 12:26 says. Obstacles expose our weaknesses and increase our dependency upon Christ. All these things should remind us that God is working in our midst and has enabled us to grow. They were responsible for the spiritual health of this new community. In fact, faithfulness is the most important quality needed in serving the Lord. God sometimes challenges us with a warning. 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. 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. For some people, time crowds out their ability to serve the Lord. Challenges in serving God. 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. Psalms 119:1-127 - ALEPH . Confusion: Perhaps worse than the ignorant are the confused. Do you know that prayer was the secret of success in Pauls ministry? Discover short videos related to mike todd obstacles and serving god on TikTok. The Bible says that the church is like a human body. He gave us the tool or prayer so that we would never feel alone. Leaders should empower others to serve and not overwhelm themselves with every ministry. I signed up . Proverbs 8:17 love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me. Download. There's three main categories: People, Places and Things. Picture this scenario: people complaining that others were being shown special favor in the distribution. (NLT). When the stresses of this world and the worst of suffering might seem to extinguish our hope, it doesnt. Obstacles that we face in life are riddled with anxiety, fear, worry, anger, stress, and every negative emotion that you can think of. If He leads us to it, He'll lead us through it. 5 MarWe Must Obey God Rather than Men (Acts 5:12-42) by RevQuek KK, 12 MarGods Wisdom and Requirements for Church Leadership (Acts 6:1-7) byRev Charles Seet, 19 MarStephen-A Man of Faith (Acts 6:5, 7:54-8:3) by RevQuek KK, 26 MarPhilip-A Light in Darkness (Acts 8:4-8) by RevHo Chee Lai, 8.00 am English Worship I9.40 am Catechism Class Sunday School 11.00 am English Worship II Chinese Worship Children's Ministry Filipina Service2.30 pm Thai Service4.00 pm Indonesian Service. If you want to remain faithful, you must give sufficient time to the study of Gods Word. This actually happened to the Ephesian church about 40 years later. But not all the ministries would last forever in a church. The ministry of food distribution lasted until the severe persecution broke out and people had to be mobilized. He is much more powerful than any obstacle you will ever face! It means submitting to Him even when it doesn't make sense and serving others faithfully even when they don't appreciate our efforts. One of them is found at the end of our passage, Acts 20:36 And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, andprayedwith them all., Now, besides faithfulness to the Lord and faithfulness to fulfill our God-given roles, there is another area where faithfulness is required of us. Prayer is the best way to communicate one-on-one with God. 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 are not interested in decreasing. 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. There is no right way to pray, all you have to do is begin speaking with God. Certain Relationships Hinder Spiritual Growth. 8) Luke 1:37 "For every promise from God shall surely come true.". Christian author A.W. The fear of disappointment, on the other hand, says, Oh yeah, I get that relationship stuff. The same thing is true of Life Church. If anyone here is still unsaved, please listen to this carefully, because it is part of Gods whole counsel If you are still outside Christ, you are still in your sins. However, when it comes to serving while single or serving while married, the . Meditate on Scripture and you will know everything is going to be OK. But this one thing we know:God is faithful! Christs mission must be the churchs main priority. 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. Jesus isnt appealing to the irrational, but to a higher truth. This exhortation is found in v.32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God,and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up,and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.(v.32) Paul said this because he had to leave the Ephesians, and would no longer be present to teach them as he had done before. God would use any thing to mobilize his people when they get inwardly focused and neglect to fulfill his mission in the world. If we want to befaithfulto the Word we cannot pick and choose only what we love to hear from it, or what we love to think about all the time. This email address is being protected from spambots. And so as Proverbs, Unfortunately not everyone in Ephesus heeded Pauls exhortation to guard themselves. And because man is so strategic to the advancement of the kingdom of God, Satan uses all kinds of. God wants you to open up about your fears, doubts and anxieties so He can help you overcome them. As we now enter into our 67thyear, let us resolve to give Him thefirst and central placein all that we do as a church, so that we may be faithful to Him. 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. 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. Please do not think that there isno rolefor you at all in Gods kingdom. 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. "If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there will My servant be also. These verses will strengthen your faith in God. Gods plan may seem confusing, unconventional, or mysterious at times, and especially when you are facing difficulty. Can God change your life? He suffered the wrath of God on our behalf. Let us therefore be faithful toChristin all our service. The three tools Satan uses to keep us ineffective on the volitional level are as follows: These three tools work, often interrelatedly (Ephesians 2:1-3), against the life of Christ in us and present the volitional barrier to our trust in Him. These seven men will oversee the ministry of distribution of food. And that's hard to do. But what if they aren't enemies? These dark moments can leave you feeling frustrated, scared, and broken. They were appalled when they saw the severe suffering Job was experiencing. Joshua was firmly in control of his actions and had his eyes fixed on the commandments of the Lord. No! Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, This shows that Jesus was a very big part of Pauls life. About, There is one good way to know whether you are spiritually well or not. He said, "you cannot serve both God and money.". The fear of judgment keeps you from a rich relationship with God because you just cant believe that God can forgive your sin. Fear of the unknown can prevent us from following God's promptings to serve and fully accept all that He has for us. All Rights Reserved. As followers of Jesus, we battle against difficulties, obstacles on our way to accomplishing Christ's mission in this world. 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 Without prayer all that we do willlackGods power and enablement. If it has, one way to restore it is build yourself up spiritually. Serving God means obeying and enjoying our relationship with God as our Heavenly Father. Earlier on we witnessed the addition of new members through baptism, reaffirmation of faith and transfer of membership. Your soul needs the nourishment contained in every part of it, and not just from your favorite books or passages of the Bible. God detests pride, but humility prompts the gift of His grace. Error: There was an internal error submitting your form. The spiritual obstacle. Michael Chriswell. Join The Hoot & Howl community for access to all the insider info! Were to make a choice to make up our mind whether to trust and serve God or not, and then act accordingly. We're God's creation, and that means we were created to serve Him. The problem: a complaint from the Grecian Jews (Hellenistic Jews). Therefore, Jesus said to Peter Get behind me Satan. This will not dampen my faith or take me away from knowing Him. This helps you build confidence in faith. You can count on Gods promise (Joshua 1:5; Deuteronomy 31:6; 1 Chronicles 28:20; Hebrews 13:5). Thats why Christ bestowed all the spiritual gifts which the Church needs for service. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. They had a great system going on, a great fellowship and God reminded them that though that ministry is important, it was not the mission of the church to run a food program, but to preach the gospel to those who are lost. Have you ever wondered why we get caught in the same sins over and over? Christ went to Jerusalem towards the end of His earthly ministry, despite, The apostle Paul would have disagreed with them very strongly. These challenges come to distract us from our mission; they come to make us quit running the race. It cant. Beliefnet is a lifestyle website providing feature editorial content around the topics of inspiration, spirituality, health, wellness, love and family, news and entertainment. And since Gods awful judgment on this world is coming soon, you must not delay obeying His command any longer. The preaching and teaching of Gods word. Has your love for the Lord grown cold? You can be secure in Gods love, which is a demonstrated, sacrificial, and caring love (John 3:16; 1 John 4:10, 19). How could you draw near to him? We dont have to be afraid of Gods judgment anymore. As a result of this they become spiritually weak, they fall into sin and become ineffective in their service. There is one good way to know whether you are spiritually well or not. These challenges come to distract us from our mission; they come to make us quit running the race. With God, you can navigated the deepest and darkest valleys of life and walk high on the mountain. This is better than anything we could imagine. And therefore weve bunkered down into a Christian life solely about survival. We dont know for sure. Many times, we wonder about God's purpose in our lives. Choosing our own way over Gods is always a losing option. They see the ministry of the Word merely as a means to get what theywantinstead of what theyneed. Copyright 2023 Staten Island Christian Church. Abraham Taking Isaac to be Sacrificed. The Bible has scripture for every one of your needs. Many of us feel like we need to take a break from all the work we do for God. Money Money. God has to earn our favor. (Job 10:1-4) The moral of Job's story is: It's okay to question God or the reasons for why something is happening, but there's no need for us to stay there. 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. Handling the problem: (v.2) Paul fulfilled his role well despite the many difficult challenges which he faced at Ephesus. And what keeps us from doing so? These feelings can keep us paralyzed from dealing with the. 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. The devil is always looking out for opportunities to gain a foothold in your heart and make you fall. By: Ysrael De la Cruz. Rejection and betrayal are part of life and help us grow closer to God when we realize our weaknesses are actually strengths. Verse Concepts. Obstacles Serving God's Purposes? God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. This gravity is like a built-in magnet that draws us toward controlling, creating, and manipulating. Has the ability, power, and that & # x27 ; ll lead us through it will., reaffirmation of faith in fact, faithfulness is the best way to communicate one-on-one with God because you cant... Actions and had his eyes fixed on the other hand, says, Oh yeah, get! 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