The church of Jesus Christ has faced huge challenges throughout it existence and will continue to face challenges until Jesus comes back again. In our choices, we dont so much turn to evil as we turn from God. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Colossians 3:24. The experiential barriers are ongoing, and they can range from broken family relationships that make us reticent to trust or accept love to bad church experiences. For some people, time crowds out their ability to serve the Lord. 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. He was committed to obedience. The apostles handed the food distribution to seven men selected by the church. Without prayer all that we do willlackGods power and enablement. But everywhere the disciples of Jesus went, they preached the gospel, and more communities were born in different towns. 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? They even say,Surely God wants His servants to have the very best!, The apostle Paul would have disagreed with them very strongly. Theres really nowhere else to go, as the apostle Peter said, for true life eternal life is with Him alone. Hard times expose our pride, because they highlight our need for God and for others. These dark moments can leave you feeling frustrated, scared, and broken. Your browser does not support the audio element. 1) The Problem of Science Faith vs. Science is the perennial God-problem. In the earlier chapters of Acts we had seen that some are called to serve as deacons, some as evangelists, and some as teachers. Do you find it hard? 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. During the voyage one of the ports that the ship stopped at was Miletus. With God, you can navigated the deepest and darkest valleys of life and walk high on the mountain. 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. Jesus has said, when you are faithful in a few things, God puts you in charge o many more things. They were appalled when they saw the severe suffering Job was experiencing. The writer to the Hebrews commands us to draw near to God. CBN's ministry is made possible by the support of our CBN Partners. Using television and the Internet, CBN is proclaiming the Good News in 149 countries and territories, with programs and content in 67 languages. If the work of Gods kingdom depends entirely on our faithfulness what assurance is there that it will succeed? 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. If you are united to Jesus by faith, the anger is gone. But the enemy doesnt like this, so he would use anything to stop you. In order for us to get grace we have to surrender ourselves to God and accept His grace as a free gift. Will we be able to do these things well? (Hebrews 10:1922). But Paul did not expect the elders of Ephesus to do what he did, because they had adifferentrole to fulfill. Because the call of God is heaven bound, Satan opposes it with all the weapons in his arsenal. Romans 12:1-2; Romans 6:13; James 4:7 NASB). Doesnt this remind us of what our Lord Himself did? When we spend too much time in a secularized society, the enemy can infiltrate and weaken our spiritual walls. God allowed this to happen to mobilize the church from becoming inwardly focused. Earlier on we witnessed the addition of new members through baptism, reaffirmation of faith and transfer of membership. The same thing is true of Life Church. If you handle the small things, God brings you big things to handle. According to 2 Timothy 3:16All scriptureis given by inspiration of God, and isprofitablefor doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.All scripture is profitable not just some of it or most of it, but All of it. . "The way is hard that leads to life," He said ( Matthew 7:14, ESV ). Submit yourselves therefore to God. Cloaked in humility, taking the form of a servant, our . God detests pride, but humility prompts the gift of His grace. Over the last three months we have seen God clearing away all the obstacles for the launching of a new Bible College. In the following paragraphs, I have listed 10 common things that can interfere with our walk with God. You can be secure in Gods love, which is a demonstrated, sacrificial, and caring love (John 3:16; 1 John 4:10, 19). 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.. He will listen to the pain you have filling your heart. The apostles were the shepherds of the church. Prayer is the best way to communicate one-on-one with God. 6. . Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:6-7). The particular, electing love of God from before the foundation of the world is the reason why anyone becomes a Christian. The enemy does not want you to discover or understand who you are in Christ, and will try to take away your spiritual identity. As a result of this they become spiritually weak, they fall into sin and become ineffective in their service. This was their main priority: In a Christ-centered church the preaching and teaching of Gods word must be the main priority. In verses 9-21 we, Dont be deceived! Be willing to say yes to whatever God wants you to do. This is biblical! Serve the Lord with gladness. The most of men are careless and indifferent to then heavenly King; they remember all things else except the God who made them. . Be bold. Copyright March 4, 2019,Ken Boa, used with permission. "If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there will My servant be also. In v.24 he reveals how willing he was to deny self in serving the Lord. Look at yourlovefor the Lord. How can tell if your agenda or actions are from God or Satan? Deborah: Trusting God through the demands of life. If He leads us to it, He'll lead us through it. But not all the ministries would last forever in a church. Audio Version. This means that we should not leave out any unpleasant teaching like the wrath of God and the existence of hell. 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. 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. In fact, faithfulness is the most important quality needed in serving the Lord. He died in our place. 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. Fear of the unknown can prevent us from following God's promptings to serve and fully accept all that He has for us. Stephen was murdered, Philip and the rest had to leave. The whole counsel of God also includes the need torepentof ones sins and to receive Christ not only as Saviour, but also asLord. Its a rich relationship, not a mechanical one. This issue needed the attention of the apostles before it would escalate. 1. But if we withhold our worship, we are saying: We know better than 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. How do we keep doing all these things until we reach the end? 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. But he also said that the gates of Hades will not overcome his church. Growing in Christ won't be without struggles. Paul was faithful in his role as achurch-planter, testifying of the Gospel of the grace of God wherever he went. Remember, rather than call the equipped, God seems to like to equip the called. (Rom.12:2). The spiritual obstacle. 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. Our sinful souls are counted free and our names are written on his heart. 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. These feelings can keep us paralyzed from dealing with the obstacles correctly. Many people will spend a lot of time trying to think and maneuver their way around obstacles . There are obstacles in our way. He is not a Father running to meet you, but one waiting to punish you. Fourth, Psalm 1 says that successful people do not get tangled up with negative, wicked, or limiting people. Sign up for a CBNDaily Bible Reading Plan. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. God rewarded their faithfulness and decision: How could you draw near to him? This exhortation is found in v.32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God,and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up,and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.(v.32) Paul said this because he had to leave the Ephesians, and would no longer be present to teach them as he had done before. They would rather increase in fame and fortune. Please do not think that there isno rolefor you at all in Gods kingdom. God made it possible for you to know. For them to enter the Promised Land, they would have to trust God to bring them through this raging river. 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. Romans 1:25. Remind yourself that this is, But having said all this, the question still remains what if Gods people are somehow. He is patient toward us, always showing his mercy toward us, always deals with us in his steadfast love. We must look to Him for all the help we need to remain faithful. 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.. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. Jesus is the only way to restore our relationship with God, and so He is the only way we can truly serve God as well. Challenges will come and go but we must remain faithful to Christs mission. 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