Partakers Christian Podcasts

Words In Scripture Explored Perseverance Tap or click here to download as a MP3 audio file Perseverance in relation to God and His work is the continuous operation of the Holy Spirit in your life as a believer. It is a work of divine grace that is begun in your heart, which is continued and brought to completion. As a Christian, you will never perish, and nobody or nothing can snatch them out of His hand (John 10v27-29) You have eternal life and you will not be condemned, passed from death to life. (John 5v24) God, who began a good work in you, will carry it on to completion (Philippians 1v6) You are shielded by God’s power. (1 Peter 1v15) Nothing can separate you from God/Christ’s love. (Romans 8v38-39) The Lord knows those who are His (2 Timothy 2v19) Eternal life never depends on our feeble grip on Christ, but rather on His firm grip on us. God’s whole purpose for you is to transform you into the image of Jesus Christ. His purpose for you is to make you holy. This is where perseverance

Resurrection Tap or click here to save this Podcast as a MP3. Resurrection means rising or raising up.  It certainly means more than coming back to life as some people think.  Jesus raised three people from the dead, but that was more a resuscitation than a resurrection - those three people would die again! So lets start by looking at Jesus' resurrection. Jesus' Resurrection The resurrection of Jesus Christ provides the central theme for the sermons and teaching in the early church (Acts 1v22; Acts 4v33, Acts 17v18).  But what significance is there in Jesus' resurrection? Jesus' resurrection proves and vindicates all of His teaching.  It certifies His claims to be the suffering Servant, just as it attests to His being fully God and the last Judge of all mankind (Isaiah 53v10-12; Acts 2v36; Acts 3v13-15; Romans 1v4). God's approval of Jesus obedient service and the fulfilment of all the Old Testament promises is declared through the resurrection.  The result of which, is forgiveness of

Holiness I wonder what the biggest fence, wall or barrier is that you have either seen or that you know about! Perhaps one of the biggest walls in the world is the Great Wall of China. It is seen from space and is over 4000 miles long, about 25 feet high and up to 30 feet thick! It is huge and enormous!! It was built to keep out invaders – for that is what walls and barriers do: Keep out enemies! Holy Barrier However big the Great Wall of China is, there is one barrier that is even bigger! I wonder if you know what it is!! The biggest barrier to exist is the one, which separates God from all His creation. This barrier is holiness, for God is a holy God. Ezekiel 1v27-28 gives us a vivid picture of the holiness of God and is seen in the fire, light, radiance, full of glory and majesty. What is holiness? Holiness is what separates God from all His creation. For God alone is holy and full of glory. Exodus 15v2 “Who is like you, O God, glorious in holiness!” Or Isaiah 60v25 “To whom w

  Words In Scripture Explored – Salvation Salvation! What is it? Salvation means a rescue or having been saved!  As humans, from the time we are born, we inherit a sinful nature and are alienated from God.  But God has seen fit to offer a way back into relationship with Him, so that we may no longer be alienated from Him!  This offer of relationship is a result of Jesus, who was both fully God and fully man, dying on the cross. Who decides who is saved? The question “Who decides the saved?” has been asked for centuries!! There are two extremist views – one view says, “God has decided who is saved and nothing can be done about it.” The other view says that God will grant salvation to all. But we need to see these two views 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 15v16). These chosen ones are called the elect. However, it is also His will th

Repentance I wonder what you think the word, “Repentance” means.   The dictionary defines repentance as Feel pain, or regret for something done or not done; · Change your mind, or conduct, because of regret; · Having sorrow or regret over an action or inaction. And this is of course partly true!  But for the Christian, Repentance means more than these! Repentance is a voluntary change in mind, in which the person turns from a life of sin to living a life of righteousness.  “Repent!”  Cried the Roman officer to his soldiers!  In other words, turn around now! The importance of repentance was central to the teaching of Jesus (Matthew 4v17; Mark 1v15); John the Baptist (Matthew 3v1-2); The Apostles (Acts 2v38; 20v21); Commanded by God (Acts 17v30); God’s will that all people repent (2 Peter 3v9; 1 Timothy 2v4) Repentance is done in three spheres: a) Mind (Intellect) - recognition of personal sinfulness and guilt before God (Psalm 51v3; Ro

Propitiation   When I talk to people I often hear things like, God is love, so I don’t have to worry about my own lifestyle or my morals, because God is love.  When I die, He will accept me as I am providing I have tried your best.  And of course that is partly true!  God is indeed a God of love.  But we must also remember that towards sin and sinful behaviour, He has great fury, anger and wrath (Psalm 7v11; Jeremiah 21v5). Nothing we say or do can appease His hatred of sin and sinful lifestyles.  Nothing we can do is able to appease God’s anger, because His anger toward sin is unquenchable.  Unquenchable that is, except for one thing. Tap or click here to save/download this question as a MP3 file This word, propitiation, basically means the turning aside of God's anger by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  All God's anger and judgment of sin falls on Jesus Christ, instead of us.  But in order to accept it for yourself, you need to approach God to

Sacrifice   Tap or click here to download this audio file as an mp3   In the Old Testament, the people of Israel were to make sacrificial offerings to God, in order to worship and have fellowship with Him. For without sacrifice, nobody could enter God’s presence! But what does all this have to do with us in the 21st century. In the book of Leviticus, God commanded that the cleansing of a defiled house required sprinkling with a mixture of blood and ‘living’ water, the bird having been slain over the water (Leviticus 14v51). Elsewhere we read of the ‘water of cleansing’ (Numbers 19), which is also called ‘living water’. This was water that had been sprinkled with the ashes of a young cow, and was kept aside for purification by sprinkling those who had touched a dead body. In both cases, this water had been cleansed by the shedding of blood and sacrifice. The cleansing was to be through the blood of sacrifice, applied through the sprinkled water. For there i

Prayer For A Broken Country by Sue Goodall Dear Lord, Let others see in me: An ounce of love; A millilitre of kindness; A drop of hope; The tiniest flame of Something different. ~ Dear Lord, Help me to be: A reservoir of love; A resource of kindness; A ray of hope; The tiniest reveal of Something enviable. ~ Dear Lord, Let others meeting me: Be open to see; Open to hear; And open to ask All that they need to know To meet you themselves. Amen Tap or click here to save this as a mp3 file About Sue Goodall I was born in 1963 in Enfield and love writing, painting and singing. (Singing Grade V and clarinet grade VIII). Not to mention photography. I am a mum of one teen daughter and have two rescue cats. The three of them are very much loved and central to my life, as is my faith... I became a Christian when I was eighteen. It's been a rollercoaster ride but without Him, well.... I LOVE the written word and find poetry can say - in my own, private opinion - so much more in such a few words. It can paint a metaphori

WISE - Disciple Tap or click to save/download this Podcast as a MP3 file The concept of a Disciple was not new in the time of Jesus Christ. Christian Discipleship as evidenced in the New Testament has three primary sources. Old Testament Old Testament prophets such as Samuel (1 Samuel 19vv20-24), Elijah (2 Kings 4v1), and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 36v32) all had disciples. These disciples saw the prophets as their master and this thinking was throughout the society of Israel. Take for example Isaiah, who refers to the people around him as disciples, where the relationship is primarily educational (Isaiah 8v16). The disciples referred to here were not only followers of Isaiah, but also of God. The relationship was based on a reciprocal support in order to reveal what the Lord was saying to Israel. Greek culture Classic Greek literature refers to disciples in three senses: learner (general), adherent (technical) and institutional (restricted). For those who were in the adherent context, they followed rules set by the

Forgiveness Tap or click here to download this MP3 What is forgiveness? True forgiveness is not just saying sorry!! Forgiveness is to include penitence and also a desire never to do that same thing again. Forgiveness of course is a major part of Christianity, both in the way that God forgives when approached in penitence and repentance, but also in the way Christians forgive others and themselves! In both giving and receiving forgiveness, consider Jesus Christ and the enormity of His forgiveness. Paul writes in Colossians 3v12-14 that forgiveness is part of being in God’s family of Christians! If God forgave you for all that you have done wrong, then you also should forgive others, regardless of how difficult that might be to do. Nobody said it would always be easy though! Forgiveness enables you to have the same openness toward the person after they offend you, as you did before the event – if not more! When you truly forgive the person who has wronged you, any hurt you have will diminish. Receiv

Serving As Christian Disciples, we are called to a life of serving God and other people. You are not alone, but part of a larger body where each member is called to perform a serving function. By serving others as a Christian Disciple, it shows unity and solidarity to those outside of the church who frequently accuse the church of infighting and “devouring one another”. Serving The Christian life is to be dynamic and active. The word “servant” is key in Scripture and is used at least 500 times in its various forms. When a Christian Disciple serves, God’s honour is released, and shows Jesus Christ’s beauty and glory, to those being served and to those watching. That is to be your motive for service. Serving is never to be about what you and I can get out of it. When that is the motive, God is not glorified. God’s glory and the total supremacy of Jesus over all things, is to be the goal in the life of all Christian Disciples. Spiritual Growth Comes From Serving If yo

Peace Tap or click here to save/download this question as a MP3 file The world we live in, wants peace! The world is unified around the concept of peace! However, the peace the world wants requires the manipulation of circumstances. God's peace, however, comes regardless of circumstances. Definition of Peace: 'Shalom' was the Hebrew word used in the Old Testament. It means a wholeness of well-being & mind; the total absence of conflict and turmoil evidenced by an untroubled mind and a heart that does not fear! It is total harmony with God, man, circumstances & self. That is true peace! History of Peace The end of peace was when Adam sinned and fellowship was broken with God and between humans. God is a God of peace (1 Thessalonians 5:23). and the Kingdom of God is about peace in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). Jesus is referred to as the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9v6). As a Christian Disciples, you have peace with God through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection! There are three scopes of pe

Truth Truth! What is truth? Today we hear consistently that there are no absolute truths anymore! We hear all the time that for twenty first century people "What is true for me may not be true to you! What is true for you may not be true for me?" So what is truth? Facts may be either true or false - an intellectual truth. An example would be that Moses existed as a person. That is a true fact. Or it could used to define a characteristic of a reliable person, such as Joseph's brothers in Genesis 42:16. These are also used to describe God as a true God, rather than the pagan gods belonging to the nations around Israel. Truth or being true, is described as a characteristic of Yahweh, the God of Israel. God is consistently true and therefore trustworthy in all His ways. God's loving care is trustworthy and seen in His dealings with Israel. In the New Testament, Christianity is seen as Truth (Galatians 2:5; Ephesians 1:13)! Indeed Jesus said that He was the only truth, the only life and the only way to God. Jesus

God’s Whisperings n Roars The Bible As A Basis Of Faith Words are our prime means of communication. We think in words, reason in words, talk in words, joke in words, write in words and speak in words. We listen to words as they are spoken. We read words written. There are about 7000 different languages in use globally, as well as untold dead languages. Humans have always communicated to each other in some way with the use of words. It is part of being God’s creation! It is also part of how we are like God, for God is a communicator! Indeed, Jesus being the Word of God, is very how the apostle John starts off his gospel. As for myself, God has whispered His roaring love for me and that I am His beloved and adopted child. The Bible tells me so. The Bible! Bible readings are from: Leviticus 20:22-26; Psalm 119:105-112; James 1:22-27; 2 Peter 1:16-21 Listen to the audio to discover more about the Bible and how and why it is a basis for our Christian faith! This is the whole Church service including songs, Bible

Angel Bookshops are filled with books on Angels!  But we must beware, for not all angels are good!  We know from the Bible that there are good angels and bad angels.    Angels   From the Bible, we know that angels are created beings (Psalm 148:2-5) possibly created before humanity (Job38:7). We know that angels carry God’s message (Luke 1)   The writer of the Book of Hebrews tells us that angels serve humans who are inheriting salvation (Hebrews 1:14)! They appear in human form, as in Abraham’s visitor (Genesis 18). Whilst angels are genderless, they invariably, when appearing to people, have masculine names such as Michael and Gabriel. They can neither die (Luke 20:36) nor  marry (Mark 12:25).  Being personal and intelligent, they communicate with humans.  They have a will (2 Peter 2:4), are separate from humanity (1 Corinthians 6v3) and powerful yet also finite.  There are large companies of angels (Revelation 5:11), which are organized into ra

Sovereignty of God The sovereignty of God means that God is in control at all times and nothing can occur outside of His control and will.  God loves His creation and cares for it.  He won’t deny people their humanity when dealing with them.  Decrees – a part of Sovereignty Sovereign decree: When God says “Eternal life is available for all.  You may choose to accept or reject it.  Those that accept it, I will call my children.”  Your own reaction as a Christian Disciple is that you have taken up God’s offer and are trusting and obeying. Conditional decree: When God says “I am willing to give you my opinion and help when you ask.”  Our reaction should be to read the Bible, and pray and talk to God about the situation! Natural decree:  When God has created a lemon tree, that lemon tree wont produce potatoes.”  Our reaction should be to plan in view of that. But! A question often posed is one that goes &l

Spiritual Gifts When Jesus said to His apostles “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14v12), it was through the promised Holy Spirit (John 14v17), and impartment of Spiritual gifts, that His words were fulfilled. What are spiritual gifts? The phrase “spiritual gifts” derives from the Greek word Charismata. They are also called grace gifts, which refer to any gift God gives out of the abundance of His grace and are given to all Christians as God sees fit (1 Corinthians 12v11). They are not all spectacular gifts such as healing and tongues, as some churches today would have you believe! The gifts quoted in various New Testament passages reflect this: “administration, apostle, discernment, evangelism, exhortation, giving, faith, healing, helps, knowledge, leadership, mercy, miracles, pastor, prophecy, service, teaching, tongues, tongues interpretation, wis

Partake – Words In Scripture Explored – Worship What is worship? I wonder what you think worship is? Is your view of worship, too small? Worship is giving God alone (Psalm 19v2), glory due His name in the beauty of His holiness (1 Chronicles 16v29), with reverence. This is where through the use of the mind and the senses, honour and respect are directed towards God, “in spirit and in truth” (John 4v24)! Worshipping in Spirit involves the whole person – mind, body and will. Worshipping in truth means that all true worship reflects God’s character. The Christian Church has 2000 years of worship resources, all of which can be used in modern Church services, and not just the latest songs! Worship in a church service should be an intimate, dynamic and holy encounter with God. Why worship? Firstly God commands it, as 1 Chronicles 16v29 reminds us “Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his presence. Worship the Lord in all his holy

Joy Right mouse click or tap here to download this MP3 The Battle for Joy! G'day! Welcome to Partake WISE. The word for today is joy!  Let us ask ourselves at the very beginning what is joy? Is joy merely a form of bloated happiness as many people believe, including those in the church?  Can joy be seen as going around everywhere with a silly grin etched into your face!  That kind of joy is dependent upon circumstances and feelings!  True joy is not to be confused with mere pleasure or feeling good!  True joy is to be a way of life and it is to permeate every facet of the person and not just the emotions!  True joy is to be a deeper, inner joy whereby the source, object and target is to be God and God alone! As Christians, we are all instruments in the orchestra of God's joy.  Does that describe your experience of joy? To enhance that thought, hear what C.S. Lewis once wrote: "Joy is never in our power, and pleasure is. I doubt whether anyone who has tasted true joy would e

Partake – Words In Scripture Explored –Redemption   For some of us the only time we see or hear the word redemption is on a supermarket or magazine coupon, which unless used for its specific purpose, has a redemption value of 0.001p. In the Old Testament, the idea of a redeemer is found in the story of Ruth and Boaz, which climaxes with: “So Boaz took Ruth into his home, and she became his wife. When he slept with her, the Lord enabled her to become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son. Then the women of the town said to Naomi, “Praise the Lord, who has now provided a redeemer for your family! May this child be famous in Israel” (Ruth4v13-14). That baby was Obed, the grandfather of David, an ancestor of Jesus Christ.  Redemption was also a familiar word in New Testament times, because its main use was to refer to the buying back of a slave - the price paid to buy the slave’s freedom.  A slave had no possessions of their own to sell in order to buy their fre