Understand Gods love will help us demolish the intrusive thoughts we have. The church needs your effectual fervent prayers! Reduces Ego: When seekers realise that serving God happens very nicely after praying and not taking doership of the act, it helps in reducing ego. They must be placed well above our own personal pursuits and interests. Copyright 2023 Staten Island Christian Church. First and foremost, you must know that you are a part of Christ. But now we come to the question. And it is the Holy Spirit who made the elders fit for their role as overseers, so that the flock would be well fed. Christs mission must be the churchs main priority. Audio Version. This was his role in serving the Lord, and he devoted himself to fulfill it faithfully wherever he went. Jesus said in Luke 16:13 (NLT) "No one can serve two masters. Prayer is the best way to communicate one-on-one with God. The Lord has blessed Life Church with 66 years of service to Him. You can cling to its truth when life throws you a curveball. This relationship were called to is not our building a tower, or our climbing stairs, or our somehow trying to maneuver our way to get close to him. He alone can give us the strength and wisdom we need to endure. 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 ). The Bible says that the church is like a human body. But what needs to be impressed on us is thatwe allhave a role to play in Gods kingdom. 1. The same thing happens if one member is not fulfilling his or her role faithfully The whole church suffers! Obstacles to God's Will Do you want God's will for your life? Money Money. Look at your, If it has, one way to restore it is build yourself up spiritually. Here are some key strategies you can use to help overcome your obstacles with Gods help. Then he decided to return by a merchant ship to Jerusalem, sailing southwards along the coastline of Asia Minor. Error: There was an internal error submitting your form. By: Ysrael De la Cruz At the beginning of the pandemic, I was able to witness many so called prophets come out to predict what the Lord was telling American through the worldwide epidemic of Covid 19. Please do not think that there isno rolefor you at all in Gods kingdom. Prayer helps you to build a solid relationship with Christ, which increases your ability to trust in Him and feel confident about His plan for you. He will surely see to it that His Church will endure to the very end. 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. 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. You can be confident in Gods ability to handle your problems (Job 42:2). The whole counsel of God also includes the need torepentof ones sins and to receive Christ not only as Saviour, but also asLord. Michael Chriswell. Paul belonged to Him alone, and so he lived to do the will of the Lord Jesus. Sometimes, the key to overcoming your problems is through replacing these negative emotions with Gods love. 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). 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). Fourth, Psalm 1 says that successful people do not get tangled up with negative, wicked, or limiting people. This was their main priority: In a Christ-centered church the preaching and teaching of Gods word must be the main priority. They would rather increase in fame and fortune. 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). Stephen: (a man full of the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas from Antioch a convert to Judaism. But God has something to say. Doesnt this remind us of what our Lord Himself did? The elders of Ephesus were faithful in their roles asshepherdswho provided for the flock and protected it from danger. Verse Concepts. 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. 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. Christian author A.W. This command to draw near might be summarized as a summons to live in a rich God-accomplished relationship with God. 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. Send a prayer request now, or call 18007007000. (NLT). 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. Paul did not say, I kept back nothing that waspleasantunto you.Certain teachings in the Bible maynotseempleasantto our ears but they are profitable. Watch popular content from the following creators: Make 30s Fit(@make30sfit), Christ (@glimpseofchrist), Danna Hagans(@dannahagans), Mckenzie Young(@mckenzieyoung93), WC(@warriorsofchrist_), WC(@warriorsofchrist_), Praise on TBN(@praiseontbn), Throwback Praise(@throwbackpraise), The grace of God(@the . We have already read the first 11 verses of the passage during the responsive reading. Download the free myCBN app. The writer to the Hebrews commands us to draw near to God. Did you laugh or cry tears of joy? Any complaint would arise, and they will go to any of the seven selected to handle this ministry. The most of men are careless and indifferent to then heavenly King; they remember all things else except the God who made them. The particular, electing love of God from before the foundation of the world is the reason why anyone becomes a Christian. In the earlier chapters of Acts we had seen that some are called to serve as deacons, some as evangelists, and some as teachers. You cannot serve both God and money". Our sinful souls are counted free and our names are written on his heart. Satan began to attack the church through severe persecution. 9) 1 John 4:4 "Little children, you are of God, and have overcome them. I hope that everyone who is serving in any ministry of Life Church will take this exhortation seriously Guard yourself! God would use any thing to mobilize his people when they get inwardly focused and neglect to fulfill his mission in the world. 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.*. Paul belonged to Him alone, and so he lived to do the will of the Lord Jesus. This warning comes in the form of a close call, or near miss event. . Many of us feel like we need to take a break from all the work we do for God. 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. They would rather increase in fame and fortune. Staten Island, NY 10314, http://sichristianchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Sept.19.mp3. You might start to lose some of your faith in God. 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. 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. 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. These commands, then, can seem foreign to us. 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. If you dont know how to manage the small, then you wont be able to manage the big. Fear of the unknown can prevent us from following God's promptings to serve and fully accept all that He has for us. But God equips us to overcome obstacles . Copyright March 4, 2019,Ken Boa, used with permission. The writer tells us . Click to Tweet Romans 14:13 - Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. This then is what it means toserve the Lord with allhumilityof mind.The Lords interests must always come first. If you are united to Jesus by faith, the anger is gone. The answer is simple, but not necessarily easy. But there is still so much more that needs to be done as we move forward as a church into our 67thyear. How could you draw near to him? It is part of the process of sanctification, being set apart for God's purposes and . Fast-forward now to a time about 40 years later, and we find this commendation that Christ gave to this church in Revelation 2:2, Thus we have seen that Paul and the Ephesian elders were faithful in fulfilling their respective God-given roles. Over the last three months we have seen God clearing away all the obstacles for the launching of a new Bible College. The following five assurances help overcome the emotional barrier to yielding to Him even in your freefall moments: Whereas the emotional barrier says its not safe to trust God, the intellectual barrier says it doesnt make sense to trust God. I hope that everyone who is serving in any ministry of Life Church will take this exhortation seriously Guard yourself! Serving God means obeying and enjoying our relationship with God as our Heavenly Father. . Draw near to him. In order for us to get grace we have to surrender ourselves to God and accept His grace as a free gift. Similarly, repentance is not so much a matter of turning from evil as it is a turning to God. Faith is from God and fear is from the enemy. Two of the biggest barriers to adults being engaged in serving the body of Christ are these feelings: "I don't have anything in common with those I want to serve" and "I don't have anything to offer.". This issue needed the attention of the apostles before it would escalate. Jesus isnt appealing to the irrational, but to a higher truth. The emotional barrier deals with bad experiences, but the intellectual barrier deals with bad teaching. 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. Which way are you turned? It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Thats why Christ also sent the Holy Spirit to work within each believer. This email address is being protected from spambots. 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. When the Israelites, out of a desire to be like all the nations, insisted on an earthly king, they turned from the will and warning of the One who knew what was best for them and they got what they asked for, though the results werent pleasant (1 Samuel 8:9-20 NASB). *A.W. God will help you knock down that wall in front of you. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:6-7). Are we a biblical people, or do we just get our truths from our emotions or non-emotions? He said, Paul was heading for Jerusalem in obedience to the Lords direction for him, despite knowing the awful trials he would have to face there. Copyright 2020 Life Bible-Presbyterian Church. Life is full of ups and downs. He is much more powerful than any obstacle you will ever face! Job eventually repents and is humbled before God. 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). Meditate on Scripture and you will know everything is going to be OK. 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. 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 . I signed up . All these things should remind us that God is working in our midst and has enabled us to grow. One great way to combat this is by spending more time at church with your fellow Christians. To move in. In 1 Kings 19, we see how detrimental fear can be to hearing God. This will not dampen my faith or take me away from knowing Him. This helps you build confidence in faith. Being full of the Spirit and being wise are evident qualities in a person. God wants you to open up about your fears, doubts and anxieties so He can help you overcome them. God was Pauls confidence that the Ephesian church would remain faithful. The word of God continued to spread (to be taught and preached); more people were becoming disciples, even some Jewish priests received the gospel of Jesus. Choosing our own way over Gods is always a losing option. Jesus said we will have trouble (tribulations) in this world. So, this distribution of goods took place before and there wasnt a problem. Some use their service to God to upgrade themselves they urge people to give and give sacrificially to support their ministry, but they fly business class or in their own private jet, they stay in the most expensive hotels, and they eat at the most expensive restaurants. In v.24 he reveals how willing he was to deny self in serving the Lord. Persecution mobilized the church, and the food ministry came to an end. You never know, God may even speak to you through on of your fellow Christian friends. 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 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. The food distribution ministry was just caring for the needs of those in the church. This helps to shift your perspective and gain the confidence needed to know you can handle it with Gods help. He said, "you cannot serve both God and money.". 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. Let us therefore be faithful toChristin all our service. These dark moments can leave you feeling frustrated, scared, and broken. He will listen to the pain you have filling your heart. These men were to handle or to manage this task (We will turn this responsibility over to them (v.3)). Sometimes God may call you to a different ministry. Benefits Of Serving God: The Challenges, The Pains, The Blessings And The Rewards - Kindle edition by Kanu, Kenneth. This gravity is like a built-in magnet that draws us toward controlling, creating, and manipulating. The devil is always looking out for opportunities to gain a foothold in your heart and make you fall. 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 . 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. Serve the Lord with gladness. The natural gravity of the flesh pulls us away from grace toward law-based living. He is our perfect, spotless righteousness and our lives are hid with him on high. These are so easy to obtain on-line. Perhaps you want to serve the Lord but you face certain challenges that come with age. In Romans 12 Paul reminded the church not to be conformed or fashioned by the pattern of this world, but to be transformed by the renewal of the mind. There are obstacles in our way. Materialism is the third barrier that keeps us from being available to serve. Confess Unbelief Be honest. You can be secure in Gods love, which is a demonstrated, sacrificial, and caring love (John 3:16; 1 John 4:10, 19). And it is the Holy Spirit who made the elders fit for their role as overseers, so that the flock would be well fed. After our conversion, our inner person matures and grows, but our flesh is neither removed nor improved. Following Jesus as our Lord and Savior not only means that we . Many people will spend a lot of time trying to think and maneuver their way around obstacles . 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. But not all the ministries would last forever in a church. - 2 Timothy 1:1-18 By Pastor Mark Thomas on 10 April 2016 at the evening service. 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. These feelings can keep us paralyzed from dealing with the. More growth was taking place. 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. As a Christian, its important to not let your obstacles in life tear you away from your faith. "How pleased the Lord must have been when Abraham did as he was instructed, without question and without wavering.". (Rom.12:2). Jesus has said, when you are faithful in a few things, God puts you in charge o many more things. Biblical Truth #2) Trust in God for strength and wisdom to deal with the obstacles. We must look to Him for all the help we need to remain faithful. But having said all this, the question still remains what if Gods people are somehownotdiligent enough to guard themselves well and to build themselves up with God Word? 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. God has to earn our favor. Acts 6:1-7 10) 1 Corinthians 15:57 " But thanks be to God! There is one good way to know whether you are spiritually well or not. 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. He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.". 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. Its a rich relationship, not a mechanical one. If you are still outside Christ, you are still in your sins. Did you feel released and free? These challenges come to distract us from our mission; they come to make us quit running the race. Jesus has an active, priestly role for our sake at the Fathers right hand. Try. 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.. What does God say about overcoming obstacles? More Ken Boa on Trusting God in Turbulent Times. Your browser does not support the audio element. Romans 1:25. The fear of judgment keeps you from a rich relationship with God because you just cant believe that God can forgive your sin. They must be placed well above our own personal pursuits and interests. God made it possible for you to know. Thus we have seen our need to be faithful to the Lord, faithful to fulfill our respective God-given roles, and faithful to the whole counsel of God. God looks at you as a loving Father with his arms wide open and he says to you, Draw near by the blood of my Son.. We can focus and realign our thinking through prayer, daily devotions and meditation. Will we be able to do these things well? The church has faced external and internal challenges since the day it began through the preaching of the apostles. And since Gods awful judgment on this world is coming soon, you must not delay obeying His command any longer. 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. With God, you can navigated the deepest and darkest valleys of life and walk high on the mountain. Then look to these promises. And so, as a point of application, please ask yourself: Are you faithful in learning and obeying the whole counsel of God? As you dig into the Word of God, start with a great study Bible, ( this list has some of the most popular Study Bibles for women.) The once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus has completely absorbed Gods anger towards us. Money from tithing is used to build God's kingdom upon the earth. This would take faith that remembered who it was that was telling them to cross the river in the first place. Obstacles expose our weaknesses and increase our dependency upon Christ. Actively involving children in the planning . You can tell God how you feel and in what areas of your life you are struggling to trust Him. This is what Paul declared at Ephesus. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! I'm sure you all could have guessed this one would be on this list. The same thing is true of Life Church. Jesus was able to recognize Satan in Peters words. Elijah, God's prophet, had just had an . Paul then left Ephesus to visit all the churches he had planted in Macedonia and Achaia during his previous missionary journey. (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. 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 apostle Paul is a good example of one who was very faithful to fulfill his role in life. 15Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. More growth and new challenges would come ahead. Other people of faith who are overcoming their own challenges can lift you up in spirit, remind you of Gods truth, and cheer you on as you strive for your goals. He wrote this 3 chapters later,Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.(1 Timothy 4:16). But Paul did not expect the elders of Ephesus to do what he did, because they had adifferentrole to fulfill. God sometimes challenges us with a warning. In fact, faithfulness is the most important quality needed in serving the Lord. As a result of this they become spiritually weak, they fall into sin and become ineffective in their service. Matthew 17:20 ESV / 89 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful Yes, we are sinners. 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. 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. Only means that we 17:20 ESV / 89 Helpful votes Helpful not Helpful Yes, we are sinners Jerusalem sailing. Us is thatwe allhave a role to play in Gods kingdom with Him on high the of. Help you knock down that wall in front of you James 4:6-7 ) inwardly. Will of the seven selected to handle your problems ( Job 42:2 ) you a... Faithfully wherever he went never know, God may call you to open up about your fears, doubts anxieties... A turning to God fall into sin and become ineffective in their roles asshepherdswho provided the... 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