Quote This: 2 Corinthians 2:14 But people who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths from God's Spirit. Acts 6:1-7 The church of Jesus Christ has faced huge challenges throughout it existence and will continue to face challenges until Jesus comes back again. 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. Materialism. Perhaps you want to serve the Lord but you face certain challenges that come with age. You can place your steadfast trust in Him. The apostles called the church (the disciples) together. But what do we see here? As a result of this they become spiritually weak, they fall into sin and become ineffective in their service. 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 spiritual obstacle. God loved you so dearly that He gave His one and only Son to save you from your sins. He suffered the wrath of God on our behalf. He has the ability, power, and strength to help you overcome any obstacle in life. The first exhortation is found in v.28:Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flockThe Ephesian elders would already have known that they were to guard the flock, which is the church. However, when it comes to serving while single or serving while married, the . You need JavaScript enabled to view it. An important part of the gospel is that in Jesus Christ we can begin to serve God again with the promise of being able to serve him perfectly and forever in the age to come. Challenges in serving God. 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. Proverbs 8:17 love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me. Those who stayed in Jerusalem were arrested (Acts 8). One obstacle that prevents us from serving the Lord as we should is our being ashamed of Him. This was their main priority: In a Christ-centered church the preaching and teaching of Gods word must be the main priority. These verses will strengthen your faith in God. Hearing from God is rooted in faith and belief. 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. 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? He . 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? Obstacles Serving God's Purposes? Paul explains to the Philippian church that the evidence of true Christianity is found in humble service to each other. Please take time to read your Bible each day, and let God speak to you through His Word. 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. Has your love for the Lord grown cold? - Obstacles to Following God's Call The Hoot & Howl What's Stopping You? . Right beside the foundation of Jesuss death in our place is this glorious picture of Jesus praying for us. Look at your, If it has, one way to restore it is build yourself up spiritually. More growth was taking place. You can be confident in Gods ability to handle your problems (Job 42:2). You may be diligent in feeding others, but you also need tofeed yourself. He died in our place. 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). The most of men are careless and indifferent to then heavenly King; they remember all things else except the God who made them. They help us see how strong and powerful our God is. Money Money. Others have been blessed with spiritual gifts of faith, administration, discernment, hospitality, giving, mercy, or encouragement. Money from tithing is used to build God's kingdom upon the earth. 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. 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. The devil is always looking out for opportunities to gain a foothold in your heart and make you fall. Do you remember when you first yielded your life to Christ? At a camp in North Carolina, the high ropes course has a trapdoor at the end. Following Jesus as our Lord and Savior not only means that we . 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). If you do, you won't ever feel alone. Stephen was murdered, Philip and the rest had to leave. The apostles remained faithful to the task of preaching and teaching Gods word. Fourth, Psalm 1 says that successful people do not get tangled up with negative, wicked, or limiting people. They dream of living in the lap of luxury, and this makes them covet more silver and gold for themselves. It is acceptable to have feelings of anger at God when hard things of life happen. He will surely see to it that His Church will endure to the very end. ". If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.". Your soul needs the nourishment contained in every part of it, and not just from your favorite books or passages of the Bible. It may just a sprained ankle or a runny nose or a toothache, but it hinders our performance The question we should ask ourselves today is: Are you fulfilling your God-given role in His kingdom? Matthew 17:20 ESV / 89 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful Yes they certainly did. knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. This issue needed the attention of the apostles before it would escalate. God would use any thing to mobilize his people when they get inwardly focused and neglect to fulfill his mission in the world. He bore our sins in his body on the tree. God calls His people to serve and love one another with humility. Romans 12:1-2; Romans 6:13; James 4:7 NASB). Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. 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. There are two glorious ways Jesus abolishes the fears that might keep us from a rich relationship with God. But he also said that the gates of Hades will not overcome his church. 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. For them to enter the Promised Land, they would have to trust God to bring them through this raging river. God will help you knock down that wall in front of you. I hope that everyone who is serving in any ministry of Life Church will take this exhortation seriously Guard yourself! God has to earn our favor. But it was a problem now. Error: There was an internal error submitting your form. If we struggle with either of these obstacles, Hebrews 10 speaks up with the good news that Jesus abolishes both fears at the cross. Worse, some of us feel too exhausted we just want to stop serving Him. 10) 1 Corinthians 15:57 " But thanks be to God! The Lord has blessed Life Church with 66 years of service to Him. What happens when one organ in a persons body is not functioning well? The fear of judgment keeps you from a rich relationship with God because you just cant believe that God can forgive your sin. We overcome the emotional barrier when we believe it is safe to yield to God. Gods plan may seem confusing, unconventional, or mysterious at times, and especially when you are facing difficulty. In our study of the Book of Acts we have been following his three great missionary journeys which took place over a period of 10 years, between the years 47 and 57 AD. Paul would never think of himself apart from the Lord Jesus. Thus we have seen that Paul and the Ephesian elders were faithful in fulfilling their respective God-given roles. Discover God's peace now. THE DIFFICULTIES IN THE SERVICE OF GOD ARISE FROM THE DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN OUR CHARACTER AND HIS. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. This is His purpose of why we were created and the reason why we are here on earth. God continued to bless them by bringing more people into the community. There's three main categories: People, Places and Things. 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. 3. 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. What does God say about overcoming obstacles? Benefits Of Serving God: The Challenges, The Pains, The Blessings And The Rewards - Kindle edition by Kanu, Kenneth. We dont have to be afraid of Gods judgment anymore. Its always telling us, Youd better take charge. So how do we stay yielded to God? How can tell if your agenda or actions are from God or Satan? Some even got so bold as to cursing the virus and sending it to hell., My Miracle by Arleen McNamara Brahn Walters March 2021 I dont think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains. 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. Submit yourselves therefore to God. The devil is always looking out for opportunities to gain a foothold in your heart and make you fall. And so, in order to be faithful to the Word, we need to declare all of it thewholecounsel of God. Through the Bible, we can understand the promises God has made for us, how He can help us in our time of need, and His amazing love for us. 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. 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. Regardless of any problem or issue we face as a church; we must never neglect Christs mission: to reach the lost; to make disciples of all nations through the preaching of his word. And it is the Holy Spirit who made the elders fit for their role as overseers, so that the flock would be well fed. Contributing financially to God's work is a great way to serve God. Our sinful souls are counted free and our names are written on his heart. Persecution mobilized the church, and the food ministry came to an end. How do we keep doing all these things until we reach the end? This requirement is highlighted in the words which Paul spoke in v.19Servingthe Lordwith all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations(v.19). Look at yourlovefor the Lord. I signed up . Here are 4 barriers to getting through to God: 1) Harboring secret sin. Get more than a Sunday sermon. In those days when the number of disciples was increasing. God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 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). Serving God is not without challenges and difficulties. In v.25 we see that Paul was alsopreachingthe kingdom of Godamong them. 1. It can be frustrating to give up control of your life, however to be a follower of Christ it must be done. Biblical Truth #2) Trust in God for strength and wisdom to deal with the obstacles. 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.". 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. The Emotional Barrier: Is It Safe to Trust God? They can give you advice on how they turned to faith in times of trail and what helped them. 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.". Tit was through all these works of God that the Ephesians had now grown into a thriving churchwithin three years. In verses 9-21 we, Dont be deceived! Sometimes people who begin a ministry die or moved and there is not one else to carry it; they come to an end. (Food pantry ministry). Click to Tweet The answer to this is that our confidence must ultimately be placed in God. As we should is our being ashamed of Him the nourishment contained in every part it. God will help you knock down that wall in front of you to be a follower of Christ it be. The Ephesians had now grown into a thriving churchwithin three years two glorious ways Jesus abolishes fears! 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