Elijah, God's prophet, had just had an . Besides all that, Paul was alsowarningevery one night and day with tears.in v.31. Repent and believe right now! And therefore weve bunkered down into a Christian life solely about survival. Colossians 3:24. Hearing from God is rooted in faith and belief. You can be confident in Gods ability to handle your problems (Job 42:2). The answer is simple, but not necessarily easy. Everyone in the church knew who was overseeing the food distribution ministry. Picture this scenario: people complaining that others were being shown special favor in the distribution. Remember, rather than call the equipped, God seems to like to equip the called. 15Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. Paul would never think of himself apart from the Lord Jesus. About, There is one good way to know whether you are spiritually well or not. Choosing our own way over Gods is always a losing option. These men were presented to the apostles who prayed and laid their hands on them. "Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. 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.. But what if they aren't enemies? . 4. After all, thats their role as the elders of the church! Post was not sent - check your email addresses! 1. "If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there will My servant be also. For them to enter the Promised Land, they would have to trust God to bring them through this raging river. You can count on Gods promise (Joshua 1:5; Deuteronomy 31:6; 1 Chronicles 28:20; Hebrews 13:5). Discover God's peace now. Similarly, repentance is not so much a matter of turning from evil as it is a turning to God. We all want to know God and our Lord Jesus Christ better and He certainly wants us to know Him better. And if praying is the only role that you can fulfill in Gods kingdom, then please make sure that you are a faithful prayer warrior pleading before Gods throne everyday. They would rather increase in fame and fortune. If you are united to Jesus by faith, the anger is gone. Confusion: Perhaps worse than the ignorant are the confused. Following Jesus as our Lord and Savior not only means that we . They would rather increase in fame and fortune. 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. The once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus has completely absorbed Gods anger towards us. The enemy of God, the devil will not stop until he turns away the people who are drawing closer to 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. Jesus has said, when you are faithful in a few things, God puts you in charge o many more things. In 1 Kings 19, we see how detrimental fear can be to hearing God. Actively involving children in the planning . This would enable them to remain faithful to the end and to receive their eternal rewards in heaven. Deborah: Trusting God through the demands of life. Cf. " The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge " and " wisdom " (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10). And because man is so strategic to the advancement of the kingdom of God, Satan uses all kinds of. How could you draw near to him? Certain Relationships Hinder Spiritual Growth. There is no more condemnation. 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. Here are 4 ways to find contentment in Christ: #1 Accept rejection. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window). 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. The apostle Paul is a good example of one who was very faithful to fulfill his role in life. In the following paragraphs, I have listed 10 common things that can interfere with our walk with God. These men were to handle or to manage this task (We will turn this responsibility over to them (v.3)). If the work of Gods kingdom depends entirely on our faithfulness what assurance is there that it will succeed? One obstacle that prevents us from serving the Lord as we should is our being ashamed of Him. First, the apostles identified their main priority. In chapter 6 Satan tried to distract the apostles from their main mission. All Rights Reserved. Quote This: 2 Corinthians 2:14 But people who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths from God's Spirit. There's no doubt, that the Bible is full of Bible verses about struggle and perseverance. It is also full of examples of how God has helped others overcome their obstacles. They were responsible for that. You cannot serve both God and money". Our Christian life comprises of many obstacles we meet. Earlier on we witnessed the addition of new members through baptism, reaffirmation of faith and transfer of membership. During his third missionary journey, Paul spent most of his time in Ephesus, a city on the western coast of present-day Turkey. In our choices, we dont so much turn to evil as we turn from God. Abraham Taking Isaac to be Sacrificed. Ask God for strategies to replace a negative habit with a positive, faith-filled habit. Dont be afraid to stand up to obstacles and say God is here with me, I can overcome this through Him. Required fields are marked *. Any complaint would arise, and they will go to any of the seven selected to handle this ministry. Error: There was an internal error submitting your form. 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? 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. Many who started out well have not finished well. Get to know others seeking Gods guidance and wisdom for life. To move in. Benefits Of Serving God: The Challenges, The Pains, The Blessings And The Rewards - Kindle edition by Kanu, Kenneth. Christ went to Jerusalem towards the end of His earthly ministry, despite, The apostle Paul would have disagreed with them very strongly. If He leads us to it, He'll lead us through it. As in all things, God's ultimate purpose for us is to grow more and more into the image of His Son ( Romans 8:29 ). Jesus Tells Us to Love the Lord Yes, our pain and our disappointments are real and valid. 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. Challenges will come and go but we must remain faithful to Christs mission. Copyright 2023 Staten Island Christian Church. Confess Unbelief Be honest. Just before those verses, the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12) define a path to spiritual happiness and significance totally contrary to what were normally taught (blessed are the meek, not the proud). Yes, we are sinners. The Bible has scripture for every one of your needs. We dont know for sure. (More people to deal with, more personality issues, cultural issues and so on). So, our attitude to serving God should be one that is reflective of Psalm 100:2 (NKJV): "Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.". Answer Jesus talked to those who would follow Him about taking up a cross, counting the cost, and giving up everything ( Luke 14:2533 ). We must always trust that God has a plan and He has a reason for allowing something to happen. Staten Island, NY 10314, http://sichristianchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Sept.19.mp3. Opt in to receive news and updates. You might start to lose some of your faith in God. 9) 1 John 4:4 "Little children, you are of God, and have overcome them. Copyright 2020 Life Bible-Presbyterian Church. (Food pantry ministry). 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. one hundred popular worship songs and hymns. Download the free myCBN app. Sometimes, the key to overcoming your problems is through replacing these negative emotions with Gods love. Do you find it hard? It can be frustrating to give up control of your life, however to be a follower of Christ it must be done. But it was a problem now. God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 3. 2. Tit was through all these works of God that the Ephesians had now grown into a thriving church, But there is still so much more that needs to be done as we move forward as a church into our 67, build a united church family that is committed to making disciples through Salvation, Sanctification and Service to the glory of God. If you are stuck in a pit of despair, dont let yourself give up. In v.24 he reveals how willing he was to deny self in serving the Lord. Satan could not stop the growth of the church through outside influence. You see, regardless of the challenges we may face in life in our ministries, Jesus expects us to be faithful to his call of making disciples, his call to reaching those who dont know him. The most important requirement is to befaithful to the Lord. In fact, faithfulness is the most important quality needed in serving the Lord. Thats why Christ also sent the Holy Spirit to work within each believer. We ought to do our best to remain faithful, but what if our best is not good enough? If it has, one way to restore it is build yourself up spiritually. 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. God was Pauls confidence that the Ephesian church would remain faithful. Click to Tweet . Obstacles to serving God. 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. 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. When we come within inches of making an enormous mistake that could lead to injury or some other kind of catastrophic failure, we have to praise God for allowing us to dodge a bullet. All you have to do is put your trust in Him. 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.". This email address is being protected from spambots. There is no way that you can escape from the fires of hell, unless yourepentof your sins andtrust onlyin Jesus Christ to save you, submitting fully to His Lordship in your life. Living the Christian life is a journey. No tongue can bid me thence depart nor can anything else in all creation separate us from his love. Job had three friends who came to see him when they heard about the misfortune that befell him. But God has something to say. Prayer is the best way to communicate one-on-one with God. See also: Is 40:31, Eph 6:10, and Jas 1:5. Life is full of ups and downs. In verses 9-21 we, Dont be deceived! The whole body suffers! Obstacles expose our weaknesses and increase our dependency upon Christ. Others have been blessed with spiritual gifts of faith, administration, discernment, hospitality, giving, mercy, or encouragement. The fear of judgment keeps you from a rich relationship with God because you just cant believe that God can forgive your sin. Us to love the Lord for walk, peripateo, means to walk around to! Calls us to know others obstacles in serving god Gods guidance and wisdom for life whip... ; t enemies by Kanu, Kenneth temple, both the sheep and the cattle reaffirmation of faith, anger! Prayed and laid their hands on them you can count on Gods promise ( Joshua ;... Walk, peripateo, means to walk around, to conduct oneself of serving:. 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