Let us look now at three exhortations which he gave to them elders from v.28 onwards to see how we can remain faithful. But what if they aren't enemies? For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.The counsel of God here refers to the complete Word of God which we now have in the 66 books of the Bible. He knows about every detail of you, and has your best interest at heart. This helps to shift your perspective and gain the confidence needed to know you can handle it with Gods help. Do you know that prayer was the secret of success in Pauls ministry? God was Pauls confidence that the Ephesian church would remain faithful. If Jesus had to endure them, so do we. God did it. Continue to commit to Him doing His will, trust in Him. Look at what he said in v.33,34I havecoveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. " The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge " and " wisdom " (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10). There are many other roles of service in Gods kingdom besides these. Now we shall read what Paul said to them, as recorded in Acts 20:17-35. Right when the church experienced such growth (a problem arose). 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. Discover steps to bring you closer to Christ. Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, This shows that Jesus was a very big part of Pauls life. But in serving God, there will always be obstructions and hindrances. Notice the language: Were to draw near with our hearts sprinkled clean from a evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. This echoes the God-centeredness of the New Covenant, when God promised that hed write his law on our hearts, that hed give us his Spirit, that hed make us clean (Jeremiah 31:33). And what keeps us from doing so? 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. 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. For them to enter the Promised Land, they would have to trust God to bring them through this raging river. And it is the Holy Spirit who made the elders fit for their role as overseers, so that the flock would be well fed. Try. (More people to deal with, more personality issues, cultural issues and so on). One obstacle that prevents us from serving the Lord as we should is our being ashamed of Him. 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. Will we be able to do these things well? You inevitably will be faced with moments in life that seriously challenge you. The emotional barrier deals with bad experiences, but the intellectual barrier deals with bad teaching. God rewards faithfulness. Paul would never think of himself apart from the Lord Jesus. We just cant do it. This means that we should not leave out any unpleasant teaching like the wrath of God and the existence of hell. But what do we see here? 2. This issue needed the attention of the apostles before it would escalate. The preaching and teaching of Gods word. Only God the Holy Spirit can change a heart. But God equips us to overcome obstacles . Many of us feel like we need to take a break from all the work we do for God. The apostles would give their attention to prayer and the preaching of the word. You cannot serve both God and money". And everyones role is important for the church to grow and to be used of God. They see the ministry of the Word merely as a means to get what theywantinstead of what theyneed. Others have been blessed with spiritual gifts of faith, administration, discernment, hospitality, giving, mercy, or encouragement. 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.". As followers of Jesus, we battle against difficulties, obstacles on our way to accomplishing Christ's mission in this world. 1. And so as Proverbs, Unfortunately not everyone in Ephesus heeded Pauls exhortation to guard themselves. God rewarded their faithfulness and decision: Did you feel released and free? You can be confident in Gods ability to handle your problems (Job 42:2). 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. How do we keep doing all these things until we reach the end? 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. The elders of Ephesus were faithful in their roles asshepherdswho provided for the flock and protected it from danger. We are here to help and encourage you! Therefore, Jesus said to Peter Get behind me Satan. The apostles remained faithful to the task of preaching and teaching Gods word. Materialism. 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. This is a spiritual thermometer. 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. Instead, these are the moments where you need faith the most. He didn't say, "you should not serve both God and money.". You think a person as messed up as you just isnt supposed to be close to God. This can be seen in the call which He gave to the church of Smyrna in Revelation 2:10. Let us turn our Bibles now to Acts 20:28-35. 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. This was a great thing happening. The apostles called the church (the disciples) together. As followers of Jesus, we will struggle with trials and tribulations. Download. 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). Stephen: (a man full of the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas from Antioch a convert to Judaism. . The same thing happens if one member is not fulfilling his or her role faithfully The whole church suffers! When I started cultivating a relationship with God, there were obstacles I had to overcome; barriers that suppressed my motivation to seek God as He calls us to. It is acceptable to have feelings of anger at God when hard things of life happen. This ministry functioned well before, as we are informed in chapter 4 that there was also distribution of funds (there was no needy people among them); the first Christians cared for their needs by sharing and distributing goods. Your browser does not support the audio element. In those days when the number of disciples was increasing. In our choices, we dont so much turn to evil as we turn from God. God wants you to be successful and triumphant, and has a great plan for your life. There is no more condemnation. We Never Heard Back. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. But the enemy doesnt like this, so he would use anything to stop you. It cant. In order for us to get grace we have to surrender ourselves to God and accept His grace as a free gift. As followers of Jesus, we battle against difficulties, obstacles on our way to accomplishing Christs mission in this world. Paul would never think of himself apart from the Lord Jesus. The punishment has been paid. Is anything too hard for me? When faced with an enormous obstacle, dont focus on how big the problem is. As you travel to Allah, you will inadvertently face obstacles. Jesus has said, when you are faithful in a few things, God puts you in charge o many more things. 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. 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. The trouble is, many congregations face substantial obstacles that make the daily practice of experiencing God more challenging. 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. . Right beside the foundation of Jesuss death in our place is this glorious picture of Jesus praying for us. First and foremost, you must know that you are a part of Christ. Anne Frank Sitting here with pen in hand, able to put words and thoughts on paper, is a miracle all by itself, as Parkinsons Disease has made me unable to write, How do you know if God is talking to you or Satan? These verses will strengthen your faith in God. Fear and faith cannot co-exist, and they battle for space within us. It was a big issue for it could have become racial and had the potential to split the church. Jesus is praying. He gave us the tool or prayer so that we would never feel alone. God's purpose for the problems he allows us to face is so different than our way of thinking. Your email address will not be published. Has your love for the Lord grown cold? One of the greatest obstacles many Christians have is simply serving the Lord. How do we deal with these ongoing barriers in our lives? After all, God had purchased them with His own blood, as Paul mentioned in v.28 (to feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood.) This of course refers to God the Son who suffered and died on the cross for our sins. The most of men are careless and indifferent to then heavenly King; they remember all things else except the God who made them. They really piss me off. You can cling to its truth when life throws you a curveball. 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. When we find a man meditating on the words of God, my friends, that man is full of boldness and is successful. Before the Throne of God Above Shane Barnard and Shane Everett. Genesis 50:20 - But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. We're God's creation, and that means we were created to serve Him. Thus we have seen that Paul and the Ephesian elders were faithful in fulfilling their respective God-given roles. 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