Partakers Christian Podcasts

WOW Word - Idolatry Images of Idolatry I wonder if you are like me and when you hear the word idolatry, you imagine somebody bowing before a statue and worshipping it. A good example is the story of the Israelites worshipping the golden calf, as recorded by Moses in Exodus 32. Or perhaps in our own time when seeing people bow down to the statue of the Buddha or one of the many Hindu gods. Therefore, we tend to think that idolatry is worshipping statues or worshipping in other religions such as Islam, Jainism and Zoroastrianism. However, the Bible is very clear, certainly Jesus was, that idolatry is a threat to living and partaking of the Christian life. How can that be, you may very well ask? Christian Idolatry As a Christian, you are to love God and love others. Anything that replaces your love of God as your first priority, is an idol, and therefore, is idolatry. For idolatry is not merely worshipping statues. Idolatry is the transference of allegiance to something apart from God. It is worshipping cr

The Gospel of Mark - Mark 16 G’day and welcome to Partakers! We are reading together through the Gospel of Mark together, to get a broad view of the life of Jesus during his time here on earth. Today we are looking at Chapter 16. Come on in! Right Mouse click or tap here to save Chapter 16 as an audio mp3 file ** We are reading from the World English Bible translation, which used to be the American Standard Version. It is in the Public Domain and therefore copyright free. Come inside to hear and see! The World English Bible (WEB) is a Public Domain (no copyright) Modern English translation of the Holy Bible. That means that you may freely copy it in any form, including electronic and print formats. The World English Bible is based on the American Standard Version of the Holy Bible first published in 1901, the Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensa Old Testament, and the Greek Majority Text New Testament.

The Gospel of Mark - Mark 15 G’day and welcome to Partakers! We are reading together through the Gospel of Mark together, to get a broad view of the life of Jesus during his time here on earth.  Today we are looking at Chapter 15. Come on in! Right Mouse click or tap here to save Chapter 15 as an audio mp3 file ** We are reading from the World English Bible translation, which used to be the American Standard Version. It is in the Public Domain and therefore copyright free. Come inside to hear and see! The World English Bible (WEB) is a Public Domain (no copyright) Modern English translation of the Holy Bible. That means that you may freely copy it in any form, including electronic and print formats. The World English Bible is based on the American Standard Version of the Holy Bible first published in 1901, the Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensa Old Testament, and the Greek Majority Text New Testament.

The Gospel of Mark - Mark 14 G’day and welcome to Partakers! We are reading together through the Gospel of Mark together, to get a broad view of the life of Jesus during his time here on earth.  Today we are looking at Chapter 14. Come on in! Right Mouse click or tap here to save Chapter 14 as an audio mp3 file ** We are reading from the World English Bible translation, which used to be the American Standard Version. It is in the Public Domain and therefore copyright free. Come inside to hear and see! The World English Bible (WEB) is a Public Domain (no copyright) Modern English translation of the Holy Bible. That means that you may freely copy it in any form, including electronic and print formats. The World English Bible is based on the American Standard Version of the Holy Bible first published in 1901, the Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensa Old Testament, and the Greek Majority Text New Testament

The Gospel of Mark - Mark 7 G’day and welcome to Partakers! We are reading together through the Gospel of Mark together, to get a broad view of the life of Jesus during his time here on earth. Today we are listening to Chapter 7. Come on in! Right Mouse click or tap here to save Chapter 7 as an audio mp3 file

The Gospel of Mark - Mark 2 G’day and welcome to Partakers! We are reading together through the Gospel of Mark together, to get a broad view of the life of Jesus during his time here on earth.  Today we are looking at Chapter 2. Come on in! Right Mouse click or tap here to save Chapter 2 as an audio mp3 file ** We are reading from the World English Bible translation, which used to be the American Standard Version. It is in the Public Domain and therefore copyright free. Come inside to hear and see! The World English Bible (WEB) is a Public Domain (no copyright) Modern English translation of the Holy Bible. That means that you may freely copy it in any form, including electronic and print formats. The World English Bible is based on the American Standard Version of the Holy Bible first published in 1901, the Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensa Old Testament, and the Greek Majority Text New Testament.

The Gospel of Mark - Mark 1 G’day and welcome to Partakers! We are reading together through the Gospel of Mark together, to get a broad view of the life of Jesus during his time here on earth. Today we are reading Chapter 1. Come on in! Right Mouse click or tap here to save Chapter 1 as an audio mp3 file ** We are reading from the World English Bible translation, which used to be the American Standard Version. It is in the Public Domain and therefore copyright free. Come inside to hear and see! The World English Bible (WEB) is a Public Domain (no copyright) Modern English translation of the Holy Bible. That means that you may freely copy it in any form, including electronic and print formats. The World English Bible is based on the American Standard Version of the Holy Bible first published in 1901, the Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensa Old Testament, and the Greek Majority Text New Testament.

Psalm 14   14:1 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt. They have done abominable works. There is none who does good. 14:2 Yahweh looked down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there were any who understood, who sought after God. 14:3 They have all gone aside. They have together become corrupt. There is none who does good, no, not one. 14:4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and don’t call on Yahweh? 14:5 There they were in great fear, for God is in the generation of the righteous. 14:6 You frustrate the plan of the poor, because Yahweh is his refuge. 14:7 Oh that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When Yahweh restores the fortunes of his people, then Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad! Right mouse click or tap here to save/download this question as a MP3 file

So Great A Salvation   Part 12 - Overcoming Doubt Confess Confess your doubt as sin to God, and He will listen and cleanse you (1 John 1:9). If doubts persist, try talking to somebody whom you trust and confess to them your doubts, and they may well be able to help you (James 5:16). Salvation Have assurance of salvation. Be assured and let your mind be controlled by the Holy Spirit, so that you are not led astray. Your salvation rests on nothing apart from God’s promises and Jesus’ righteousness! Test yourself as Paul exhorts in 2 Corinthians 13:5. Righteousness Live a righteous life. Live the truth! When we started as Christian Disciples, before God we were given the righteousness of Jesus! But that righteousness needs to be lived out in the lives of Christian Disciples. Living right helps overcome any doubts! Faith Show total trust in God for your life. The faith we have is a defensive weapon against the mistruths, the doubts, that enter our minds. By maintaining our trust in God’s promises and God’

So Great A Salvation  Part 11 - When Doubt Sets In It is a very rare person indeed who has not suffered some form of doubt, and asked questions similar to those of Jeremiah in the passage of Lamentations I read earlier. By doubt, I do not mean as in doubting God’s very existence, but rather doubting some aspect of the Christian life such as assurance of salvation, any of the other of God’s promises or doubting an attribute of God such as His innate sovereignty or His infinite goodness. When doubt rises in you concerning God’s assured promise of salvation of you that usually occurs after engaging in wilful sin or having lost a spiritual battle. Doubting God’s sovereignty will usually occur after experiencing a great personal tragedy or of reading about an international disaster. When this occurs, it is important to have faith. Have faith in your knowledge of Scripture, and trust in its authority as God’s Word. When we sin, not only do we forget who we are as His children, but we also doubt what God has sai

So Great A Salvation Part 10 - Dealing with Doubts When you became a Christian, you started an exciting journey in the Christian life. Success in the Christian life is not an accident, but rather it is a direct result of living in harmony with the basic principles of life set forth in the Bible. The Christian life is not a matter of expecting spiritual maturity to occur overnight. The Bible lays down standards and principles of living which we need to follow with God’s strength, if we are to continue living at peace with God, our fellow men, and ourselves. We need to know what God expects of us and what guidelines He has given us to achieve this quality of life. As we apply the principles and guidelines of the Bible to our lives, we are transformed into the likeness of Christ – which is the journey we are on (Romans 8:28-29; 2 Corinthians 3:18). Jesus said ‘I have come to bring them life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10). This is achieved as we allow Jesus Christ to live this life through us so that we s

So Great A Salvation  Part 9 - Godly Discipline Christians are sometimes entangled by sin (Hebrews 12:1). God disciplines His children. “It is painful.” (Hebrews 12:11) Therefore if we are Christians, and we sin (remaining unrepentant and making a habit of it), God will discipline us because we are His children (Hebrews 12:10). If we sin and are not disciplined, we are not His children (Hebrews 12:8). The Practice of Sin - Habitual Sin - The Christian cannot continue to sin habitually, willingly maintaining a sinful practice or attitude. That is why we are warned against doing so and thus falling away. Note carefully the following two truths: We share in Christ if we hold firmly to the end. (Hebrews 3:13-14) It is possible to experience much of what God offers but fundamentally reject it and by so doing place ourselves outside and beyond the grace of God (Hebrews 6:4-6) Living as a Christian Disciple is to be a life that brings glory to Jesus Christ. Part of that is a life of repentance, faith, persevera

So Great A Salvation   Part 8 - Perseverance Perseverance is the continuous operation of the Holy Spirit in the believer, by which the work of divine grace that is begun in the heart is continued and brought to completion. We read that: My sheep listen to my voice; I know them … and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand… no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. They will never perish; no-one can snatch them out of my hand (John 10:27-29) “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life (John 5:24) He who began a good work in you, will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus(Philippians 1:6) Shielded by God’s power. (1 Peter 1:5) Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39) The Lord knows those who are His (2 Timothy 2:19) That you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:12-13) In summary then: eternal life

So Great A Salvation Part 7 – Faith Faith is confidence in the faithfulness of God which leads to reliance and trust in God and obedience to Him (Hebrews 11:6). In salvation, faith is a voluntary change of mind and heart in the sinner in which the person turns to God, accepting and relying on His offer of salvation through Jesus Christ. FAITH = BELIEF + TRUST + ACTION. Faith does not operate in a vacuum. It must affect our: Mind – by recognition of our need of salvation. Acknowledging Christ’s death on our behalf and our need of forgiveness. Emotional (Heart) – by giving personal assent to the gospel - What must I do to be saved? Agree to make salvation a part of life. Will – by a conscious turning of our inner affections and motivations to personal trust. Another way of putting it is that we should: Surrender the whole of our life to the Lordship of Christ (John 8:12; Romans 10:9) Receive and appropriate Jesus into the life. (John 1:12; Revelation 3:20) Accept His death on our behalf, and the forgivenes

So Great A Salvation Part 6 – Repentance “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose.” Philippians 2:12-13 This “working hard to show the results of your salvation” involves four things: Repentance, Faith, Perseverance and Discipline. Repentance is a voluntary change in mind, in which the person turns from a life of sin to living a life of righteousness. This is done in three spheres: Mind (Intellect) - recognition of personal sinfulness and guilt before God (Psalm 51:3; Romans 3:20) Emotional (Heart) - genuine sorrow for sin - Godly sorrow... leads to repentance (2 Corinthians 7:8-10) Will - decision to turn from sin, self-pleasing and self-centredness to God. The importance of repentance was central to the teaching of: Jesus (Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:15); John the Baptist (Matthew 3:1-2) Apostl

So Great A Salvation  Part 5 – The Who, What, Why of Salvation “9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.” Romans 10:9-10 New Living Translation Who decides who is saved has been a question asked for centuries!! There are two extremist views in regard to salvation – there is “hyper-Calvinism” that says God has decided all things and there is nothing we can do about it. Then there is the opposite end, “universalism”, which says that God will grant salvation to all, regardless of creed, race or religion. However, there is a third way. But we need to see these two “isms” in the balance of Scripture. Firstly, God does choose individuals to fulfil His purposes (Romans 9) and He chooses those who are, or will be, saved (John 15:16). These chosen ones are called the elect. However, it is also His

So Great A Salvation   Part 4 – The Christian is to Walk In The Spirit   Today we are looking at the process by which the Christian is declared clean, righteousified and sanctified. Or you may know it as, walking in the Spirit The Process by which this is achieved, is by the Christian Disciple devoting him or herself to righteousness (Romans 6:19,22) with a desire and choosing to be holy, submitted and consecrated to God. Christian Disciples are to put off the old nature - crucify the passions and desires (Ephesians 4:22; Galatians 5:24; Colossians 3:5) and put on the new nature created to be like God (Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:12-14). This is done by a work of God (1 Thessalonians. 5:23, Philippians 2:13) for the Christian is indwelt by God the Holy Spirit from the moment of conversion, and therefore a Christian Disciple is to ‘walk by the Spirit’ and ‘be led by the Spirit’ (Galatians 5:16,18). This is done by: Desiring holiness. Feed the new nature with God’s Word in order to renew our mind. Communica

So Great A Salvation  Part 3 - The Christian is Declared Clean However. There is a problem with the words ‘justified’ and ‘righteous’ in English. They sound so different but translate as two words which are very similar, because they share the same root in Greek. We could replace ‘justified’ with ‘righteousified’, and know what it meant better, if only there was such a word in English! So we are justified (or ‘’righteousified’) – treated as though we are righteous in the eyes of God (Romans 3:24,26). We receive the gift of righteousness and so will reign in life (Romans 5: 17) and the list of the Christian Disciples sins is nailed to the cross of Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:13-14). Sanctification Then there is sanctification or cleansing of which there are 3 stages. We have been sanctified and made holy (Hebrews 10:10) by the death of Jesus Christ and we are washed clean (1 Corinthians 6:11). As a result, we are challenged to become increasingly sanctified. (2 Corinthians 7:1). We are also being transforme

So Great A Salvation  Part 2 - God’s side of Salvation 29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household. Acts 16:29-34 New King James Version (NKJV) Regeneration Regeneration is the new birth, being born again, becoming a new creation. A regenerated person does not receive a new spirit or personality, but the Holy Spirit recreates the moral basis of our character, setting it free to act according to God’s will giving the desire and ability to seek and follow God. It

So Great A Salvation Part 1 – What is Salvation? 29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household. (Acts 16:29-34 New King James Version) Salvation has two sides to it. There is God’s side, which may seem obvious. But there is also the human side of salvation. God provides the salvation, but it is the human’s responsibility to take it. Salvation includes several parts. Initially there is a call (Romans 8: 30) when the Spirit starts to speak to, and be heard in, the