obstacles in serving god

This was their main priority: In a Christ-centered church the preaching and teaching of Gods word must be the main priority. 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.'. Acts 6:1-7 Trusting God gives us direction (Proverbs 3:5-6). Obstacles that we face in life are riddled with anxiety, fear, worry, anger, stress, and every negative emotion that you can think of. And therefore weve bunkered down into a Christian life solely about survival. You can be assured of Gods intentions that He has your best interests at heart (Jeremiah 29:11-13; Hebrews 12:10). 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. Beliefnet is a lifestyle website providing feature editorial content around the topics of inspiration, spirituality, health, wellness, love and family, news and entertainment. You can place your steadfast trust in Him. and its ok. Fear is the first item listed in Joshua's challenge to the people. To move in. 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.". He said to them earlier on in v.20,I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, There is an important detail here which I want you to notice. God would use any thing to mobilize his people when they get inwardly focused and neglect to fulfill his mission in the world. In chapter 6 Satan tried to distract the apostles from their main mission. 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. Verse Concepts. A very sermon in the current challenge of CIVID-19, which should not deter the preaching of the Word of God. 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. There are two glorious ways Jesus abolishes the fears that might keep us from a rich relationship with God. 2023 The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., A nonprofit 501 (c)(3) Charitable Organization. Money from tithing is used to build God's kingdom upon the earth. This is a spiritual thermometer. Trusting God gives us confidence not a flesh-driven confidence, not confidence in the wrong things (like money/possessions) or with wrong motives, but confidence rooted in God and His Word (exemplified by the Bereans of Acts 17:11). 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. This warning comes in the form of a close call, or near miss event. John 12:26 says. It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. How can tell if your agenda or actions are from God or Satan? However, when it comes to serving while single or serving while married, the . The Bible has scripture for every one of your needs. God was Pauls confidence that the Ephesian church would remain faithful. . Right beside the foundation of Jesuss death in our place is this glorious picture of Jesus praying for us. But not all the ministries would last forever in a church. At a camp in North Carolina, the high ropes course has a trapdoor at the end. Seven Barriers to Knowing and Walking with God. But he also said that the gates of Hades will not overcome his church. Psalm 37:4, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.". Stephen was murdered, Philip and the rest had to leave. Meditate on Scripture and you will know everything is going to be OK. (7) It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. Mailbox Club Bible Correspondence Courses, As we thank God for His faithfulness today, let us be reminded that God requires faithfulness from us. sign me up! Acts 6:1-7 By: Ysrael De la Cruz The church of Jesus Christ has faced huge challenges throughout it existence and will continue to face challenges until Jesus comes back Before the Throne of God Above Shane Barnard and Shane Everett. Notify me by email when the comment gets approved. 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. In fact, faithfulness is the most important quality needed in serving the Lord. 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. The writer to the Hebrews commands us to draw near to God. 2. But no matter what happens they would always have Gods Word with them to build them up, as long as they continued to study it. The Emotional Barrier: Is It Safe to Trust God? First, we can have a rich God-accomplished relationship with God because of Jesuss sacrifice (Hebrews 10:1920). they did not let this issue distract them from their mission. Sometimes God may call you to a different ministry. 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. How do we deal with these ongoing barriers in our lives? . Please do not think that there isno rolefor you at all in Gods kingdom. Look at what he said in v.33,34I havecoveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. Fear and faith cannot co-exist, and they battle for space within us. Notice how verse 19 begins, Therefore, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus. He means that we have access to God now because Jesus died in our place. 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. 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 help us see how strong and powerful our God is. During the voyage one of the ports that the ship stopped at was Miletus. The fear of judgment keeps you from a rich relationship with God because you just cant believe that God can forgive your sin. knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. We can certainly learn how to handle any challenge or difficulty when we examine how the first century church handled her own challenges. Christian author A.W. Our sinful souls are counted free and our names are written on his heart. When the church began by the preaching of the apostles; It was primarily Jewish, but it didnt take long for it to become more diverse. That sounds crazy because rejection is not easy. 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? Remind yourself that you are a child of God and you were put on this earth for a reason. Has your love for the Lord grown cold? This was approved by the church, and they selected seven men to take care of the ministry of food distribution. As followers of Jesus, we will struggle with trials and tribulations. They wept, Gods pattern for his people! These are emotional, intellectual, and volitional barriers. 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. God did it. He will listen to the pain you have filling your heart. Matthew 17:20 ESV / 89 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful This is what Paul declared at Ephesus. 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. You are a Christian and no one can take that away from you unless you let them. And so, as a point of application, please ask yourself: Are you faithful in learning and obeying the whole counsel of God? We can focus and realign our thinking through prayer, daily devotions and meditation. We can manipulate Him into giving us what we want. Living for Godwhy is it so difficult? A spiritual war is taking place. Benefits Of Serving God: The Challenges, The Pains, The Blessings And The Rewards - Kindle edition by Kanu, Kenneth. 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.". Yes they certainly did. Thats why Christ bestowed all the spiritual gifts which the Church needs for service. To be faithful to the Word is to give our attention to thewholecounsel of God. This is similar to how the higher law of aerodynamics supersedes the lower law of gravity for a hang glider. He is our perfect, spotless righteousness and our lives are hid with him on high. Paul then left Ephesus to visit all the churches he had planted in Macedonia and Achaia during his previous missionary journey. The death of Jesus and the intercession of Jesus, then, provide the grounds by which we can have a rich relationship with God. 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.". 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. We overcome the emotional barrier when we believe it is safe to yield to God. 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. 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.*. 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? (NLT). Please take time to read your Bible each day, and let God speak to you through His Word. 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