The church has faced external and internal challenges since the day it began through the preaching of the apostles. 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. This helps to shift your perspective and gain the confidence needed to know you can handle it with Gods help. Do you seek to fulfill God's purpose? He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed" (Deuteronomy 31:8). 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. Biblical Truth #2) Trust in God for strength and wisdom to deal with the obstacles. THE DIFFICULTIES IN THE SERVICE OF GOD ARISE FROM THE DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN OUR CHARACTER AND HIS. They must be placed well above our own personal pursuits and interests. Others have been blessed with spiritual gifts of faith, administration, discernment, hospitality, giving, mercy, or encouragement. In v.24 he reveals how willing he was to deny self in serving the Lord. Yes, we have sinned. 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). Certain Relationships Hinder Spiritual Growth. As the people contemplated God's instructions, they faced the challenge . Two Obstacles in the Way But it's not that simple. More growth was taking place. 1. Share your prayer requests, receive prayer and pray for others! The enemy of God, the devil will not stop until he turns away the people who are drawing closer to God. This is a spiritual thermometer. This can be seen in the call which He gave to the church of Smyrna in Revelation 2:10. The problem: a complaint from the Grecian Jews (Hellenistic Jews). Over the last three months we have seen God clearing away all the obstacles for the launching of a new Bible College. They were responsible for the spiritual health of this new community. The church of Jesus Christ has faced huge challenges throughout it existence and will continue to face challenges until Jesus comes back again. 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. He has the ability, power, and strength to help you overcome any obstacle in life. Here Paul begins his discourse to the church elders in about the same way that he begins every epistle by drawing attention to the Lord whom he served: the Lord Jesus Christ. 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. 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. 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. Here are 4 barriers to getting through to God: 1) Harboring secret sin. 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. Instead, these are the moments where you need faith the most. During his ministry there, a thriving congregation developed and the Gospel was disseminated throughout the western part of Asia Minor. Benefits Of Serving God: The Challenges, The Pains, The Blessings And The Rewards - Kindle edition by Kanu, Kenneth. No! Paul was telling them to take heed untothemselvesfirst, in order toremain fitto guard the flock. It can be frustrating to give up control of your life, however to be a follower of Christ it must be done. "Serving God" is one of the important reasons man was created from the beginning. A spiritual war is taking place. Send a prayer request now, or call 18007007000. More Ken Boa on Trusting God in Turbulent Times. To be faithful to the Word is to give our attention to thewholecounsel of God. Many of us feel like we need to take a break from all the work we do for God. 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. 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. Before the Throne of God Above Shane Barnard and Shane Everett. Matthew 17:20 ESV / 89 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful It was a big issue for it could have become racial and had the potential to split the church. 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 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.*. The answer to this is that our confidence must ultimately be placed in God. Please see the Disclosures for how it will all go down. 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. Overcoming Obstacles to Serving. Prayer is the best way to communicate one-on-one with God. He is not a Father running to meet you, but one waiting to punish you. 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. We serve not just because we want to serve but love man has to carry out; that we have a loving Creator, a true genuine Father in every sense of the word. Here are some key strategies you can use to help overcome your obstacles with Gods help. And what keeps us from doing so? 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 22:37. sign me up! Paul explains to the Philippian church that the evidence of true Christianity is found in humble service to each other. The fear of disappointment, on the other hand, says, Oh yeah, I get that relationship stuff. Notice the language: Were to draw near with our hearts sprinkled clean from a evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. This echoes the God-centeredness of the New Covenant, when God promised that hed write his law on our hearts, that hed give us his Spirit, that hed make us clean (Jeremiah 31:33). Try. Are we a biblical people, or do we just get our truths from our emotions or non-emotions? God detests pride, but humility prompts the gift of His grace. If God Is Loving, Why Is there So Much Pain in this Life? For more on this, read How to Have a Happier Life by Practicing Gratitude. We serve the same God who said: "And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. Did you laugh or cry tears of joy? Do you find it hard? Many times, we wonder about God's purpose in our lives. Sometimes God may call you to a different ministry. 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. 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? This then is what it means toserve the Lord with allhumilityof mind.The Lords interests must always come first. There are obstacles in our way. The trouble is, many congregations face substantial obstacles that make the daily practice of experiencing God more challenging. 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. Required fields are marked *. And it is the Holy Spirit who made the elders fit for their role as overseers, so that the flock would be well fed. Giving up our ways and will isn't easy but that is what moving into a . 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. Challenges will come and go but we must remain faithful to Christs mission. Committed to Loving God and Loving People. 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). Paul then left Ephesus to visit all the churches he had planted in Macedonia and Achaia during his previous missionary journey. There are obstacles in our way. (7) How can tell if your agenda or actions are from God or Satan? Paul was faithful in his role as achurch-planter, testifying of the Gospel of the grace of God wherever he went. Dont be afraid to stand up to obstacles and say God is here with me, I can overcome this through Him. 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.. December 10, 2018. 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. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.". Sometimes, the key to overcoming your problems is through replacing these negative emotions with Gods love. Focus on how strong Gods power is. By: Ysrael De la Cruz. We dont know for sure. He gave us the tool or prayer so that we would never feel alone. 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. 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.". Obstacles expose our weaknesses and increase our dependency upon Christ. No matter how many ministries a church may have, if the preaching and teaching of Gods word is not the main priority then I doubt that true disciples are being developed. Thats why Christ bestowed all the spiritual gifts which the Church needs for service. We're God's creation, and that means we were created to serve Him. This shows that Jesus was a very big part of Pauls life. Perhaps some of us may have certain limitations that prevent us from serving. (praise and worship, teaching ministries, financial ministry, homeless ministry, recovery ministry, jail ministry, outreach ministry, cleaning ministry, building maintenance , food pantry, missions ministry, and so forth). He will surely see to it that His Church will endure to the very end. However with God, your biggest setbacks can become your biggest comebacks. At a camp in North Carolina, the high ropes course has a trapdoor at the end. When we study Scripture and see what God asks us to do to fulfill His purpose, eventually we find there are obstacles to God's will. Be bold. If Jesus had to endure them, so do we. We have already read the first 11 verses of the passage during the responsive reading. Then he decided to return by a merchant ship to Jerusalem, sailing southwards along the coastline of Asia Minor. Fourth, Psalm 1 says that successful people do not get tangled up with negative, wicked, or limiting people. 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. You may be diligent in feeding others, but you also need tofeed yourself. Materialism is the third barrier that keeps us from being available to serve. God has to earn our favor. . 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