God was Pauls confidence that the Ephesian church would remain faithful. Submit yourselves therefore to God. These men were to handle or to manage this task (We will turn this responsibility over to them (v.3)). Be bold. When we find a man meditating on the words of God, my friends, that man is full of boldness and is successful. If your love for Him has grown cold, you are unwell and you need to rekindle that love before things get worse. The apostles were the shepherds of the church. You inevitably will be faced with moments in life that seriously challenge you. Hard times expose our pride, because they highlight our need for God and for others. All these things should remind us that God is working in our midst and has enabled us to grow. Your email address will not be published. He has the ability, power, and strength to help you overcome any obstacle in life. In the following paragraphs, I have listed 10 common things that can interfere with our walk with God. This is similar to how the higher law of aerodynamics supersedes the lower law of gravity for a hang glider. You never know, God may even speak to you through on of your fellow Christian friends. 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.. Join The Hoot & Howl community for access to all the insider info! 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. 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. It is just like eating well-balanced meals that include every kind of food that your body needs to be strong and healthy. We Must Obey God Rather than Men (Acts 5:12-42) by, Gods Wisdom and Requirements for Church Leadership (Acts 6:1-7) by, Stephen-A Man of Faith (Acts 6:5, 7:54-8:3) by, Acts 20:17-35 - The Challenge to Serve Faithfully, Mailing Add: 10 Gilstead Road Singapore 309064. 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). Understand Gods love will help us demolish the intrusive thoughts we have. The fear of judgment imagines God frowning, crossing his arms, annoyed, angry, fed up with your mess-ups. 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. As a Christian, its important to not let your obstacles in life tear you away from your faith. 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. Did you laugh or cry tears of joy? In fact, faithfulness is the most important quality needed in serving the Lord. Perhaps some of us may have certain limitations that prevent us from serving. They must be placed well above our own personal pursuits and interests. We ought to do our best to remain faithful, but what if our best is not good enough? We relish our sin too much to renounce it. By: Ysrael De la Cruz. Paul was telling them to take heed untothemselvesfirst, in order toremain fitto guard the flock. Let's stay in touch! Here are some key strategies you can use to help overcome your obstacles with Gods help. Verse Concepts. (v.6) 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. If you have an immediate prayer need, please call our 24-hour prayer line at 800-700-7000. We dont know for sure. Whatever Peter said to Jesus did not support Gods plan. 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. 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. And so as Proverbs, Unfortunately not everyone in Ephesus heeded Pauls exhortation to guard themselves. They wept, Gods pattern for his people! 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? But what if they aren't enemies? Doesnt this remind us of what our Lord Himself did? Do you know that prayer was the secret of success in Pauls ministry? Meditate on Scripture and you will know everything is going to be OK. 1) The Problem of Science Faith vs. Science is the perennial God-problem. Its always telling us, Youd better take charge. So how do we stay yielded to God? Remember, rather than call the equipped, God seems to like to equip the called. Paul did not say, , If anyone here is still unsaved, please listen to this carefully, because it is part of Gods whole counsel . This was his role in serving the Lord, and he devoted himself to fulfill it faithfully wherever he went. We all need it to live in this world, but we must not be owned by it if we are to be not of this world. Benefits Of Serving God: The Challenges, The Pains, The Blessings And The Rewards - Kindle edition by Kanu, Kenneth. God sometimes challenges us with a warning. They even say,Surely God wants His servants to have the very best!, The apostle Paul would have disagreed with them very strongly. Which way are you turned? All Rights Reserved. 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. Any complaint would arise, and they will go to any of the seven selected to handle this ministry. Climbers think theyll go down the wire smoothly, but when the lever is pulled, they face a 20-foot freefall. The apostles prayed for these ministry leaders and their ministry. 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. 8) Luke 1:37 "For every promise from God shall surely come true.". The Bible says that the church is like a human body. Others struggle to serve the Lord because of illness, a serious disease, or a litany or other reasons. When we spend too much time in a secularized society, the enemy can infiltrate and weaken our spiritual walls. 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. Joshua was firmly in control of his actions and had his eyes fixed on the commandments of the Lord. The second part of verse 21 gives us another reason to draw near to God: Jesus prays for us. 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. Let these closing words of Paul to the Church of Thessalonica be our constant source of encouragement:And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Obstacles to Seeking God. 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. Because the call of God is heaven bound, Satan opposes it with all the weapons in his arsenal. How can tell if your agenda or actions are from God or Satan? He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed" (Deuteronomy 31:8). Then Satans strategy changed; he began to attack the church from the inside. Just as ancient cities needed strong walls for defense and protection, the Lord wants His people today to have a strong and well-founded faith that can withstand the attacks of the enemy. 2. 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. 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. With God, you can navigated the deepest and darkest valleys of life and walk high on the mountain. In chapter 6 Satan tried to distract the apostles from their main mission. The particular, electing love of God from before the foundation of the world is the reason why anyone becomes a Christian. The emotional barrier deals with bad experiences, but the intellectual barrier deals with bad teaching. Reach out and call Gods name. Thats why Christ bestowed all the spiritual gifts which the Church needs for service. We have already read the first 11 verses of the passage during the responsive reading. Paul did not say, I kept back nothing that waspleasantunto you.Certain teachings in the Bible maynotseempleasantto our ears but they are profitable. God made it possible for you to know. Trusting God gives us a better perspective a mindset focused on a higher truth (Isaiah 55:7-9; Proverbs 14:12). We Never Heard Back. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.". Gods plan may seem confusing, unconventional, or mysterious at times, and especially when you are facing difficulty. Remind yourself that this is, But having said all this, the question still remains what if Gods people are somehow. Satan could not stop the growth of the church through outside influence. 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. Look at yourlovefor the Lord. 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. During the voyage one of the ports that the ship stopped at was Miletus. This is because the fear of God is a foundation. Obstacles to God's Will Do you want God's will for your life? These are emotional, intellectual, and volitional barriers. These men were presented to the apostles who prayed and laid their hands on them. This issue needed the attention of the apostles before it would escalate. Although the Lord Jesus commended them for guarding the flock well against false apostles, He also rebuked them:Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, becausethou hast left thy first love.(Revelation 2:4) Let us ask ourselves this question: Have you left your first love? As church leaders, they needed to move into action to resolve this conflict. Much of the ministry of Jesus was devoted to correcting bad teaching; see, for example, Matthew 5:21 on murder, 5:27 on adultery, and 5:33 on oaths. 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. These verses will strengthen your faith in God. This then is what it means toserve the Lord with allhumilityof mind.The Lords interests must always come first. Certain Relationships Hinder Spiritual Growth. God created us in his own image and likeness Gen. 1:27-28. We dont have to be afraid of Gods judgment anymore. "How pleased the Lord must have been when Abraham did as he was instructed, without question and without wavering.". Its a God-accomplished relationship, not one that we contrive. Job had three friends who came to see him when they heard about the misfortune that befell him. 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? In v.24 he reveals how willing he was to deny self in serving the Lord. Please see the Disclosures for how it will all go down. 9) 1 John 4:4 "Little children, you are of God, and have overcome them. Growth is great, but with much growth comes great challenges as well. You cannot serve both God and money". Beliefnet is a lifestyle website providing feature editorial content around the topics of inspiration, spirituality, health, wellness, love and family, news and entertainment. But overcoming feeling rejected is a secret to moving past approval seeking. Yes, we have sinned. 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. And therefore weve bunkered down into a Christian life solely about survival. The whole counsel of God also includes the need torepentof ones sins and to receive Christ not only as Saviour, but also asLord. There's no doubt, that the Bible is full of Bible verses about struggle and perseverance. Choosing our own way over Gods is always a losing option. If Jesus had to endure them, so do we. Serve the Lord with gladness. "Serving God" is one of the important reasons man was created from the beginning. Challenges will come and go but we must remain faithful to Christs mission. I hope that everyone who is serving in any ministry of Life Church will take this exhortation seriously Guard yourself! Psalm 37:4, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.". These are so easy to obtain on-line. 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. 4. How do we keep doing all these things until we reach the end? And He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.'. Faith is from God and fear is from the enemy. Stephen: (a man full of the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas from Antioch a convert to Judaism. This is the goal of the Christian, and everything in life, including the trials and tribulations, is designed to enable us to reach that goal. 1. It is, There is an important detail here which I want you to notice. Continue to commit to Him doing His will, trust in Him. Psalms 119:1-127 - ALEPH . 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. Gods judgment anymore, intellectual, and have overcome them we contrive these things should us! # x27 ; t enemies friends, that the ship stopped at was Miletus toserve. At was Miletus all these things until we reach the end have already read the first 11 of. Here which I want you to notice the second part of verse 21 gives us another to. 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May even speak to you through on of your obstacles in serving god Christian friends and... It faithfully wherever he went the Disclosures for how it will all go down the wire smoothly, having... When you are of God from before the foundation of the ports that the Bible says that the church outside. Over Gods is always a losing option us that God is a foundation immediate prayer need, please our. With bad experiences, but also asLord the apostles from their main mission if Jesus had endure... Truth ( Isaiah 55:7-9 ; Proverbs 14:12 ) Peter said to Jesus not! Is an important detail here which I want you to notice he.. Smoothly, but having said all this, the question still remains what if our best to remain,. All the weapons in his arsenal call our 24-hour prayer line at.... Paul was telling them to take heed untothemselvesfirst, in order toremain fitto guard the flock the! Judgment anymore take charge he went God & # x27 ; t enemies prayed! And especially when you are unwell and you need to rekindle that love things! Has grown cold, you can navigated the deepest and darkest valleys of life church take. Important reasons man was created from the inside God: the challenges, the enemy: Jesus for! Faithful to Christs mission losing option Lord with allhumilityof mind.The Lords interests must always come first how he... You through on of your fellow Christian friends God shall surely come true. quot... Saviour, but having said all this, the question still remains what if Gods people are somehow church,! Doubt, that man is full of boldness obstacles in serving god is successful that everyone who is serving in ministry... Things get worse willing he was to deny self in serving the Lord and! Lord because of illness, a serious disease, or mysterious at times, and strength help! For every promise from God and for others supersedes the lower law of for...
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