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. If you have an immediate prayer need, please call our 24-hour prayer line at 800-700-7000. He said, "you cannot serve both God and money.". The apostles would give their attention to prayer and the preaching of the word. 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. . He is there right beside you. Sometimes, the key to overcoming your problems is through replacing these negative emotions with Gods love. 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. You might start to lose some of your faith in God. 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). The suggestion to handle the ministry: (v.3) 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. Let us turn our Bibles now to Acts 20:28-35. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.". Materialism. Serving God means obeying and enjoying our relationship with God as our Heavenly Father. December 10, 2018. 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. Please see the Disclosures for how it will all go down. We can certainly learn how to handle any challenge or difficulty when we examine how the first century church handled her own challenges. 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.. All you have to do is put your trust in Him. The Church of Christ should embrace and take adbamtage of advanced ICT to reach the whole world with the Word of God rather than focusing on the its small congregation, Your email address will not be published. When it comes to facing challenges as a church, we must learn like the first Christians did. Please take time to read your Bible each day, and let God speak to you through His Word. God Will Allow You to Go Through Impossible Situations to Produce a Supernatural Dependence in You. Biblical Truth #2) Trust in God for strength and wisdom to deal with the obstacles. Join The Hoot & Howl community for access to all the insider info! In my two previous blogs, we takes about finding God's purpose in our lives. You never know, God may even speak to you through on of your fellow Christian friends. Following Jesus as our Lord and Savior not only means that we . 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. This helps to shift your perspective and gain the confidence needed to know you can handle it with Gods help. Mailbox Club Bible Correspondence Courses, As we thank God for His faithfulness today, let us be reminded that God requires faithfulness from us. These are emotional, intellectual, and volitional barriers. Get to know others seeking Gods guidance and wisdom for life. Jesus Tells Us to Love the Lord Yes, our pain and our disappointments are real and valid. . Yes they certainly did. Christ went to Jerusalem towards the end of His earthly ministry, despite, The apostle Paul would have disagreed with them very strongly. . The sinless Savior died and he ever lives and pleads for me. And therefore weve bunkered down into a Christian life solely about survival. These men were to handle or to manage this task (We will turn this responsibility over to them (v.3)). Its always telling us, Youd better take charge. So how do we stay yielded to God? Life is full of ups and downs. It was a big issue for it could have become racial and had the potential to split the church. Opt in to receive news and updates. Everything a church does should fall under the umbrella of reaching the world with the gospel and making people into disciples. (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). If we allow fear to take over, then faith gets pushed aside. 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 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. Actively involving children in the planning . Obstacles that we face in life are riddled with anxiety, fear, worry, anger, stress, and every negative emotion that you can think of. You can be comforted by Gods commitment (Psalm 46:1; Luke 15:11-32). 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. We imagine that if God is putting us through something, he expects us to accomplish his will. Growing in Christ won't be without struggles. Jesus was able to recognize Satan in Peters words. Then Satans strategy changed; he began to attack the church from the inside. Trusting God gives us a better perspective a mindset focused on a higher truth (Isaiah 55:7-9; Proverbs 14:12). He is not a Father running to meet you, but one waiting to punish you. God loved you so dearly that He gave His one and only Son to save you from your sins. You know your sin and guilt, and although you like the idea of a closer relationship with God, you wouldnt dare pursue it. The preaching and teaching of Gods word. 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. God sometimes challenges us with a warning. But overcoming feeling rejected is a secret to moving past approval seeking. Fourth, Psalm 1 says that successful people do not get tangled up with negative, wicked, or limiting people. This can be seen in the call which He gave to the church of Smyrna in Revelation 2:10. 3. He alone can give us the strength and wisdom we need to endure. How do we deal with these ongoing barriers in our lives? They were responsible for the spiritual health of this new community. The devil is always looking out for opportunities to gain a foothold in your heart and make you fall. Please do not think that there isno rolefor you at all in Gods kingdom. If the work of Gods kingdom depends entirely on our faithfulness what assurance is there that it will succeed? Certain Relationships Hinder Spiritual Growth. 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. Do you find it hard? The apostles prayed for these ministry leaders and their ministry. Notify me by email when the comment gets approved. Obstacles to God's Will Do you want God's will for your life? 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. Their widows were being overlooked or neglected in the daily distribution of food. The whole body suffers! "Listen to advice and accept discipline . As a Christian, its important to not let your obstacles in life tear you away from your faith. 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. 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. They can give you advice on how they turned to faith in times of trail and what helped them. 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. Thats why Christ also sent the Holy Spirit to work within each believer. And that's hard to do. Copyright 2023 Staten Island Christian Church. Obstacles Serving God's Purposes? Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Try. He had been doing this to the Ephesians for three years (54-57 AD), as he said to them in vv.18 and 31Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia,after what manner I have been with you at all seasonsTherefore watch, and remember, that by the space ofthree yearsI ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.. The apostles remained faithful to the task of preaching and teaching Gods word. God's people cannot be shamed into serving God; they need to be challenged. The fear of judgment keeps you from a rich relationship with God because you just cant believe that God can forgive your sin. About, There is one good way to know whether you are spiritually well or not. Prayer is the best way to communicate one-on-one with God. Challenges in serving God. It cant. Being full of the Spirit and being wise are evident qualities in a person. 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. Solutions to obstacles: One gets to learn from the obstacles faced by other seekers and what they did to overcome the obstacles. And so as Proverbs, Unfortunately not everyone in Ephesus heeded Pauls exhortation to guard themselves. He has the ability, power, and strength to help you overcome any obstacle in life. 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. Thats why his discourse ends by saying,And now, brethren,I commend you to God(v.32a). Cloaked in humility, taking the form of a servant, our . 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