Partakers Christian Podcasts

Romans 12: Living Life Study 19: Persevere and Pray v12 Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. As part of our having a confident hope, Paul now commands these Roman Christians to be patient during trouble and to keep on praying. Because we have this great hope in the return of Jesus Christ and the fullness of our salvation, we can be patient in trouble and persevere. That doesn’t mean we won’t have trouble in this life, but it does mean that whatever we face, God is with us. Remember God is a personal God and if you are a Christian, then His Holy Spirit lives within you! WOW! God Himself helps you to persevere as He sustains, carries and empowers you! Whatever trials and troubles we are going through, we are not alone – God is with you! Don’t listen to anybody who tells you differently – including satan who will tell you lies in order for you to give up on God. Another reason we can be patient and persevere is God perseveres with us! He does this through the continuous work of the Holy Spirit in

Romans 12: Living Life Study 18: Rejoice! v12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Why can we serve the Lord with zeal and enthusiasm in all things we do, as we looked at last time? Because we have an assured and confident hope which should be a fantastic cause for joy and celebration! What is the assured hope for the Christian? Here it is! Peace with God takes care of the past - He no longer holds our sins against us. Access to God takes care of the present - we can come to Him whenever we desire. A glorious hope takes care of our future - which is the expectation of the return of Jesus Christ. When Jesus comes again, there will be an amazing time of glory to follow. An amazing time of glory to come, when Jesus, the Son of God, comes back for His people. Hope is the glory of salvation for all those who call Jesus Christ their Lord and Saviour! Our hope is in Him who is the object of our faith and life! WOW! We rejoice by filling our minds with the hope of the glory to come! But as we looked at previously, don

Romans 12: Living Life Study 17: Enthusiastic Zeal      v11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Paul here commands Christians not to be lazy but to work hard! Is Paul talking about work outside the church or is he referring to work for the church? Quite possibly he means both! Remember those gifts we looked at earlier in the series? How are you doing with them? Are you being lazy and neither developing or using them as you ought? Get up and use them and develop them – work hard at them ensuring your service of God is with great zeal and delight! Perhaps Paul had heard that some of them were just sitting around waiting for Jesus to come back again and were neglecting their care and duty to work - and therefore their families!. So Paul has had to command them to get about their work with due diligence and attitude. We are also to work hard at loving others and particularly loving those other believers that we know – as they are our family because of Jesus Christ!

Romans 12: Living Life Study 16: Be family!     Romans 12:10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honouring each other. Paul we know is writing to all believers in Rome, those who are called by God and loved by God (Romans 1:7). So Paul here commands that the Roman Christians are to love each other with genuine affection. Yes Christians are to love all others, including those who are not believers, but are to love especially other Christian believers. After all they are all Christian! There is only one Saviour for believers, Jesus Christ, and there is only one Holy Spirit living with believers and there is only one God! So be as one family! Paul instructs these believers to be totally devoted to each other, having the welfare of others on their hearts and minds. For example when one believer is weak, the other believers are to act and strengthen that weak member. They are all to hold onto each other as family through their committed love and faith in Jesus Christ. That g

Romans 12: Living Life Study 13: Gift of Kindness & Mercy 8 And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. This could also be the gift of Mercy… We know that God is a God of mercy and kindness, therefore those who claim to follow Him, must also be cheerfully kind to others. Some people have an extraordinary capacity to be kind and merciful to people they meet who are in need – they certainly have this gift! They give a WOW about God. People like Mother Theresa. However, all Christians should seek to be kind and merciful. This would include visiting the sick, caring for the elderly, sick and disabled, the unemployed, orphans, widows, the destitute. It could simply be a listening ear, a smile or a kind word at the right time to somebody. One way to do it cheerfully and gladly is to do it as a generous thanksgiving to God. If you are to help people with kindness and mercy, show you are happy to help! The word Paul uses here is hilaroteti. We get the word ‘hilarious’ from i

Romans 12: Living Life Study 12: Gift of Leadership     Romans 12:8 If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. Now Paul comes on to the gift of leadership. Leaders are to lead with diligence, take their responsibilities seriously but also with care for those they are leading. The word used here indeed can mean leader but also mean to give aid or care for. Perhaps Paul meant both – a leader must be caring and giving aid to those in need – doing so with diligence and without manipulation or favouritism. Whatever kind of leader you are – for example pastor, priest, elder, deacon, Sunday School teacher, Small Group leader or Prayer Group leader you are to lead with care and diligence and to lead by putting all your heart into it! Love those you lead as Christ loves the church – sacrificially – doing your best for those you are leading – regardless of the size of group you are leading. Leading and being willing to show people your love of God and your love of them.

Romans 12: Living Life Study 11: Gift of Giving   Romans 12:8 If it is giving, give generously. And now we have a gift which echoes that of God the gift-giver – the gift of giving! When we give to others, contributing to those in need, we are to give generously and liberally. I wonder if that describes your giving? Again, some people have this wonderful gift – they are able to give just like that – generously and liberally. Yet, all Christians are to give generously because that is how God gives good gifts – generously and abundantly. Jesus said in Matthew 6:3-4 “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” We are not to give to others in need in the hope of getting something in return for that help. Giving to others is for the benefit of the person being helped and not to be for our own benefit? Does that describe you when you give or whe

Romans 12: Living Life Study 06: Gifted Graciously! v4-6 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. 6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. As we saw in our previous study, part of the Christian life is that each of us has special abilities and gifts! Paul uses the illustration of the human body! Your body is made up of many parts, each with a distinct purpose and function! So it is with the Church – Christ’s body! We have these gifts, each of us, because of God’s amazing grace toward us! All Christian Disciples have Spiritual Gifts, for “in his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.” (Romans 12:6). God the Holy Spirit, through His infinite wisdom, mercy and grace bestows these gifts that belong to Him, upon Christian Disciples! What is the purpose of these gifts? These gifts are to be used prima

Individualism   The Apostle Paul writing in Philippians 2:3-4 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." And finally, the Apostle Peter writing in 1 Peter 5:5-6 "All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." Individualism Contrast those values to those of the twenty first century society, where morality can be summed up in this kind of attitude: "The more you care for others, the more they will care for you."  So look after the interests of others and you will also be looked after. In other words everyone is on level parity and there is total equality within society.  In some of the more narcissistic and cynical parts of society, there is no other, the order is "me, me and more me

  How not to be a Chocolate Christian or How to change Ch-rch to Church! Have you ever noticed that chocolate melts under pressure & heat? If you haven't, take a piece of chocolate and hold it between your fingers! It will soon melt!  If you are a Christian, you need to be active in your local church so that you don't melt under pressure and you will remain firm in your faith!  Otherwise you will be a chocolate Christian who easily gives up under the stress and pressure of every day life!At a church local to where you live, you are needed regardless of who you are!Perhaps this is you? Interested observer but not a committed Christian Not bothered Not good enough Just want to be left alone Don't know how to be involved Don't know why being involved is important Too busy But why should you be involved? Why? You have talents to be used!! 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, becau

Psalm 28 1 To you, Yahweh, I call. My rock, don’t be deaf to me; lest, if you are silent to me, I would become like those who go down into the pit. 2 Hear the voice of my petitions, when I cry to you, when I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place. 3 Don’t draw me away with the wicked, with the workers of iniquity who speak peace with their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts. 4 Give them according to their work, and according to the wickedness of their doings. Give them according to the operation of their hands. Bring back on them what they deserve. 5 Because they don’t respect the works of Yahweh, nor the operation of his hands, he will break them down and not build them up. 6 Blessed be Yahweh, because he has heard the voice of my petitions. 7 Yahweh is my strength and my shield. My heart has trusted in him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart greatly rejoices. With my song I will thank him. 8 Yahweh is their strength. He is a stronghold of salvation to his anointed.

Psalm 34 By David; when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed. 1 I will bless Yahweh at all times. His praise will always be in my mouth. 2 My soul shall boast in Yahweh. The humble shall hear of it, and be glad. 3 Oh magnify Yahweh with me. Let us exalt his name together. 4 I sought Yahweh, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. 5 They looked to him, and were radiant. Their faces shall never be covered with shame. 6 This poor man cried, and Yahweh heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of Yahweh encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. 8 Oh taste and see that Yahweh is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. 9 Oh fear Yahweh, you his saints, for there is no lack with those who fear him. 10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger, but those who seek Yahweh shall not lack any good thing. 11 Come, you children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of Yahweh. 12 Who is someone who desires

Psalm 121   1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. 3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. 4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. 6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. 8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore     Right mouse click or tap here to save/download this Psalm as a MP3 file   You can now purchase our Partakers books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site! Click or tap on the appropriate link below to subscribe, share or download our iPhone App!

Psalm 61 Hear my cry, God. Listen to my prayer. From the end of the earth, I will call to you, when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been a refuge for me, a strong tower from the enemy. I will dwell in your tent forever. I will take refuge in the shelter of your wings.   Selah. For you, God, have heard my vows. You have given me the heritage of those who fear your name. You will prolong the king's life; his years shall be for generations. He shall be enthroned in God's presence forever. Appoint your loving kindness and truth, that they may preserve him. So I will sing praise to your name forever, that I may fulfill my vows daily.   Right mouse click or tap here to save this Podcast as a MP3.   You can also download all the Psalms as mp3 audio files by visiting this page on our site! You can now purchase our Partakers books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site! Click or tap on the appropriate link below to subscribe, share or download our i

  The Story of Athaliah & Jehosheba (2 Chronicles 22-23) When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family of the house of Judah. But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes who were about to be murdered and put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Because Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of the priest Jehoiada, was Ahaziah's sister, she hid the child from Athaliah so that she could not kill him. He remained hidden with them at the temple of God for six years while Athaliah ruled the land. (2 Chronicles 22:10-12) Jehoiada and his sons brought out the king's son and put the crown on him; they presented him with a copy of the covenant and proclaimed him king. They anointed him and shouted, 'Long live the king!' When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and cheering the king, she went to them at the temple of the Lord. She looked, and there was the ki

  Sermon - God, the Church and the Internet (John 17:13-19 & Romans 12:3-13) 13 ‘I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. (John 17v13-19) 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have t

  Sermon - Living in the face of alienation and its cure 1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, exiles, scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance. (1 Peter 1:1-2) 11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. (2 Peter 2:11-12)   Introduction The author Who is Peter? What is the letter all about? Who is the letter to? 1. God God is Trinity Trinity is Love Indivisible Trinity is a Love Relationship God the Father foreknew! God the Spirit sanctifies! God the Son sacrifices. 2. Therefore! You are c

Psalm 88 If you can, as you read and listen to Psalm 88, feel the agony of the Psalmist and ask the same questions he does, particularly in regards to our recent troubles across the world...   Right mouse click or tap here to save/download this Psalm as a MP3 file Psalm 88 A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah. For the director of music. According to mahalath leannoth. A maskilof Heman the Ezrahite. 1 LORD, you are the God who saves me; day and night I cry out to you. 2 May my prayer come before you; turn your ear to my cry. 3 I am overwhelmed with troubles and my life draws near to death. 4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am like one without strength. 5 I am set apart with the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you remember no more, who are cut off from your care. 6 You have put me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths. 7 Your wrath lies heavily on me; you have overwhelmed me with all your waves. 8 You have taken from me my closest friends and have ma

God - so what? Ezekiel 36v22-28   God - so what? Ezekiel 36:22-28 Right mouse click and save to download the MP3 file of this sermon. The Context - Story of Ezekiel from Chapter 2 onwards... a. Symbolic Actions (Ezekiel 4:1-5v17) Lying down facing a map (4v1-8) Eating siege rations cooked on cow's dung (4v9-17) Cutting off hair and destroying it (5v1-17) b. Vision of Jerusalem (8v1-11v25) Idolatry in Temple (8v1-18) Unfaithful in Jerusalem are killed (9v1-11) Actions of the cherubim (10v1-22) Exile and restoration announced (11v1-21) Glory of God leaves Jerusalem (11v22-25) c. Symbolic Actions (12v1-20) Digging through wall of his house (12v1-16) Eating in fear (12v17-20) d. Prophecy Concerning Israel (12v21-24v27) Judgment is very near (12v21-28) Against false prophets (13v1-23) Against idolatry (14v1-8) Against false prophets (14v9-11) Israel's sin history (20v1-44) Death of Ezekiel's wife (24v15-27) and he isn't allowed to show any public mourning. e. Prophecy Concerning Fore

Psalm 91 1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of Yahweh, "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust." 3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his feathers. Under his wings you will take refuge. His faithfulness is your shield and rampart. 5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day; 6 nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that wastes at noonday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it will not come near you. 8 You will only look with your eyes, and see the recompense of the wicked. 9 Because you have made Yahweh your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place, 10 no evil shall happen to you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling. 11 For he will put his angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.