What to do when serving God gets tough

Acts 18: 1-5 Paul goes to Corinth

Corinth was a really bad City, full of sexual sin, idolatry, adultery, homosexuality, theft, greed, drunkenness, slander, cheats and swindlers

(1 Corinthians 6: 9-11)

Paul was afraid to go there ‘When I was with you, I was weak. I was afraid and I shook’ 1 Corinthians 2:3

Paul knew that he was going to have a tough time in Corinth – and he was alone!

Today: We learn what to do when serving God gets tough!

1/ Get Support

To serve God successfully – you need support!

Paul was working during the week to support himself financially and could only preach about Jesus to the people on the Jewish day of worship V4

During this time, not one person became a Christian!

God provided support for him with Priscilla and Aquila – fellow Christians V2

What a great encouragement that would be!

Then, Silas and Timothy arrived from the Churches he had started in Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea

They brought with them financial support so that Paul was free to serve God fulltime V5

The results were immediate! V8b ‘…many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized.’

(2 Corinthians 11: 9 and Philippians 4: 15)

What can you do to financially support our fulltime ministry in this Church?

There is a wonderful promise in the Word of God for those who financially support those who serve God fulltime

Philippians 4:15 ‘…you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help…No other church did this’.

Philippians 4: 16 ‘you sent me help when I needed it. You did it again and again’

Philippians 4: 19 ‘You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, His generosity exceeding even yours’

Everyone can encourage and everyone can give!

When serving God gets tough for you, get support!

Over 24 years of Pastoring, I have seen this problem

Instead of getting support, Christians pull away from God, pull away from Church

They suffer even more!

When serving God gets tough for others, provide support!

Illustrate: Little girl in China/run over by a van

Who provided support when she needed it?

Her parents? – The Van driver? – The people who walked past her?

Everyone felt sad after the accident and after she died

But it was too late – she needed support before the tragedy ever happened!

Dear Friends, sometimes, serving God can get tough

But, by getting support (for yourself) and providing support (for others), serving God can be successful!

How do you witness to selfish, pleasure seeking, apathetic, indifferent and bored people?

Acts 17: 13-34 

Paul goes to Athens Acts 17: 13-15

Paul witnesses to the people there V16-17

Some of the people were very interested in what he was saying v18 

‘…Epicurean and Stoic…’

Epicurean’s believe: there is no life after death, no Heaven, no Hell

What Epicurean’s value: Selfishly live for their own pleasure, using people and money to get what they want

Epicurean attitude: “Give me what I want and get out of the way”

What Stoic’s believe: their life is controlled by unseen forces like ‘spirits’, ‘gods’ & ‘demons’

What Stoic’s value: nothing

Stoic attitude: (apathy, indifference, boredom) “my life will never change, I don’t care about anything,”

This may surprise you, today’s World is full of Epicurean’s & Stoic’s

Have you heard people say this? “Nothing will ever change, I’m living for myself”

How do you witness to these types of people?

We must start with what they do believe!

V23 ‘…an altar…TO AN UNKNOWN GOD…’

All people (whether they acknowledge it or not) have an inner sense of the existence of God

Ecclesiastes 3: 11 ‘God has set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot understand what God has done…’

1/ Paul tells the people what God has done

V24-29

God reated everything

God gives life to everything He created

God made Man to know Him

God is only known through Jesus Christ v18b ‘…about Jesus…’

Colossians 1: 15a ‘Christ is the visible image of the invisible God’

John 14: 7 “If you have known Me, you will also know My Father. From now on you know Him through Me and have seen Him in Me.”

2/ Paul commands the people to repent

V30

Illustrate: invite v command

Your child walks into traffic

Repent! Don’t keep ignoring God; you are in danger of dying without Christ and going to
Hell – turn to Him today!

When you do this, your Life will change forever – it will never be the same again!

3/ Paul warns them of coming judgement

V31

On judgement day, all people will stand before Jesus and be either…

Sent away from His presence forever (Hell)

Welcomed into His presence forever (Heaven)

There is life after death – you get to choose your destination!

V32-34  Some believed and some did not

When we witness, we must leave the results with God

For those who do believe, we rejoice and help them to ‘grow’ into mature, powerful
men and woman of God!

Do You Have A Desire To Know the Truth (Part 2)

Acts 17: 12-15 Paul is witnessing in Berea

‘Many of them believed’

Why did Paul have so much success here?

Why did many believe?

Acts 17: 11  ‘…they received the message with great eagerness and examined the scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.’

The people had a desire to know the truth

Knowing the truth brings many benefits into our lives…

1/ Knowing the truth – helps you to know God

2/ Knowing the truth – helps you grow as a Christian

3/ Knowing the truth – protects you against deception

Colossians 2:6-8 (NLV) ‘As you have put your trust in Christ Jesus the Lord to save you…be careful that no one deceives you by much learning and big sounding ideas. They are always trying to make new religions that leave out Christ’.

Deception is any belief about God, life, sin, salvation, Heaven and Hell that leaves out Jesus Christ

How do you keep safe from deception – learn all I can about false religions”?

No, learn more Bible truth

4/ Knowing the truth – brings blessing into your Life

2 Timothy 3:16 ‘Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another — showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way’.

When we believe the truth and act on the truth and live God’s way – God will bless our lives!

Acts 17: 13-15 Paul goes toAthens

A Small Book with a Big Message

Haggai is a small Book of only 2 Chapters but it has a big message for us today!

 

God told His people to be committed to His Church – to make it their first priority – but they refused Haggai 1: 2

Q. “Ps. David, what’s that got to do with me”?

Everything! – I want to talk to us today about our commitment to His Church, this Church, our Church

Q. Why do people refuse to be committed to the Church?

A. Because their commitment – their first priority is to their own self interests/to what benefits them personally

Because of their selfishness, God told them He was withholding His blessing from them

Haggai 1: 5-6

In fact, God said that whatever they had left over, He ‘blew away’ V9

Q. Have you ever said, “I work hard, but there is never enough”

The people took the message seriously and repented!

Haggai 1: 12

Q. Are we prepared to listen to a message from God through our Leaders, take it seriously and change our lives?

It’s the only way to get blessed by God!

 

God saw their repentance and promised to bless them

Haggai 1: 13

I would far rather have God with me, than against me!

The Lord stirred up the people and they made the Church their first priority! V14

 

God knows that we are weak in our commitment, so He warns us to not to turn back

Haggai 2: 15-19

Don’t think that God is playing games, He is not, He is serious about our commitment to His Church, this Church, our Church

 

God will bless our commitment

Haggai 2: 7 

God will bring Nations into our Church and they will be saved, to the glory of God!