They really piss me off. The apostles would give their attention to prayer and the preaching of the word. Everything a church does should fall under the umbrella of reaching the world with the gospel and making people into disciples. 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. . 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. Look at v.21 where Paul says that he wastestifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks,repentance toward God, and faith toward ourLordJesus Christ.. Galatians 5:16 (NASB) calls us to walk in the Spirit. The Greek word for walk, peripateo, means to walk around, to conduct oneself. Walking is a step-by-step process, a sequencing process of behaving habitually. They must be placed well above our own personal pursuits and interests. This was approved by the church, and they selected seven men to take care of the ministry of food distribution. The food distribution ministry was just caring for the needs of those in the church. After all, thats their role as the elders of the church! God made it possible for you to know. 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? Serving God means obeying and enjoying our relationship with God as our Heavenly Father. This command to draw near might be summarized as a summons to live in a rich God-accomplished relationship with God. These seven men will oversee the ministry of distribution of food. In the following paragraphs, I have listed 10 common things that can interfere with our walk with God. Christians are called to make disciples, but we are not capable of changing people. You see, regardless of the challenges we may face in life in our ministries, Jesus expects us to be faithful to his call of making disciples, his call to reaching those who dont know him. Many who started out well have not finished well. True friends! He is our perfect, spotless righteousness and our lives are hid with him on high. God calls His people to serve and love one another with humility. Yes, we are sinners. Romans 14:13 - Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. 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. Cf. Look at what he said in v.33,34, When this question has been settled, we should then go on to another area that requires faithfulness , Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of, 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 will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed" (Deuteronomy 31:8). When we come within inches of making an enormous mistake that could lead to injury or some other kind of catastrophic failure, we have to praise God for allowing us to dodge a bullet. One great way to combat this is by spending more time at church with your fellow Christians. These feelings can keep us paralyzed from dealing with the obstacles correctly. All of our resources exist to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ. Solutions to obstacles: One gets to learn from the obstacles faced by other seekers and what they did to overcome the obstacles. We are here to help and encourage you! There are two glorious ways Jesus abolishes the fears that might keep us from a rich relationship with God. 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. The river was flooded and nearly impossible to cross. First, we can have a rich God-accomplished relationship with God because of Jesuss sacrifice (Hebrews 10:1920). At a camp in North Carolina, the high ropes course has a trapdoor at the end. 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. God continued to bless them by bringing more people into the community. Get more than a Sunday sermon. *A.W. He alone can give us the strength and wisdom we need to endure. (Rom.12:2). The fear of judgment keeps you from a rich relationship with God because you just cant believe that God can forgive your sin. During the voyage one of the ports that the ship stopped at was Miletus. 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). Required fields are marked *. Christ went to Jerusalem towards the end of His earthly ministry, despite, The apostle Paul would have disagreed with them very strongly. 15Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. Reach out and call Gods name. There is always a temptation for those who serve the Lord to get so busy and involved with serving that they neglect their own walk with God. But what do we see here? THE DIFFICULTIES IN THE SERVICE OF GOD ARISE FROM THE DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN OUR CHARACTER AND HIS. In our choices, we dont so much turn to evil as we turn from God. 3980 Victory Blvd. But God has something to say. Ive tried it before. 1. 2. (Acts 4:34). Certain Relationships Hinder Spiritual Growth. If your love for Him has grown cold, you are unwell and you need to rekindle that love before things get worse. Please take time to read your Bible each day, and let God speak to you through His Word. Matthew 22:37. They were responsible for the spiritual health of this new community. 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. As you travel to Allah, you will inadvertently face obstacles. 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. Stephen was murdered, Philip and the rest had to leave. That sounds crazy because rejection is not easy. 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. He is patient toward us, always showing his mercy toward us, always deals with us in his steadfast love. 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. Many of us feel like we need to take a break from all the work we do for God. He knows about every detail of you, and has your best interest at heart. The answer is simple, but not necessarily easy. And that's hard to do. Meditate on Scripture and you will know everything is going to be OK. God loved you so dearly that He gave His one and only Son to save you from your sins. The whole body suffers! This means that we should not leave out any unpleasant teaching like the wrath of God and the existence of hell. The most of men are careless and indifferent to then heavenly King; they remember all things else except the God who made them. Trials and suffering tend to truly reveal who your true friends are. The Emotional Barrier: Is It Safe to Trust God? For some people, time crowds out their ability to serve the Lord. and its ok. Biblical Truth #2) Trust in God for strength and wisdom to deal with the obstacles. What happens when the trapdoor opens in your life? And so, as a point of application, please ask yourself: Are you faithful in learning and obeying the whole counsel of God? Worse, some of us feel too exhausted we just want to stop serving Him. If it has, one way to restore it is build yourself up spiritually. In Pauls discourse we can see how greatly concerned he was that the Ephesian church should remain faithful. Joshua was firmly in control of his actions and had his eyes fixed on the commandments of the Lord. There is one thing that everyone can do that is to pray. But not all the ministries would last forever in a church. He is much more powerful than any obstacle you will ever face! But in serving God, there will always be obstructions and hindrances. -- James MacDonald #Church #Exclusion #Serving God So you can't lose serving God, and that all things work together for good. 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 first and biggest obstacle to you and me enjoying all the benefits of God's Grace is you (and me). Stephen: (a man full of the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas from Antioch a convert to Judaism. He gave us a once-for-all sacrifice and he gives us never-ceasing intercession. How could you draw near to him? The ministry of food distribution lasted until the severe persecution broke out and people had to be mobilized. It is just like eating well-balanced meals that include every kind of food that your body needs to be strong and healthy. And since Gods awful judgment on this world is coming soon, you must not delay obeying His command any longer. - Obstacles to Following God's Call The Hoot & Howl What's Stopping You? As a Christian, its important to not let your obstacles in life tear you away from your faith. 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. One of the greatest obstacles many Christians have is simply serving the Lord. Continue to commit to Him doing His will, trust in Him. We can manipulate Him into giving us what we want. Ask God for strategies to replace a negative habit with a positive, faith-filled habit. Psalm 32:11, "Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!". God Will Allow You to Go Through Impossible Situations to Produce a Supernatural Dependence in You. There is one good way to know whether you are spiritually well or not. He suffered the wrath of God on our behalf. The following five assurances help overcome the emotional barrier to yielding to Him even in your freefall moments: Whereas the emotional barrier says its not safe to trust God, the intellectual barrier says it doesnt make sense to trust God. Which way are you turned? 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