Partakers Christian Podcasts

Romans 12: Living Life Study 25: v17 Never pay back evil with more evil. I wonder if you have ever been hurt by somebody else. I know that I have. I also know that not only have I been the victim, I have also been the one to inflict and hurt others. So how are we to respond to those who would wish us harm? After all, we are commanded to love those people. Paul here commands that we don’t pay back evil for evil. That will just perpetuates a circle of evil in our life and prove to be a distraction from living a life that is honouring to God – living a life of worship and devotion to Him. What does this mean in practise? We know we are to love our enemies. Jesus taught it and Paul also. We are to do good to everyone, including those who are against us. We are to actively bless our enemies and repay that way! WOW! That goes against our culture, which usually dictates either at best to ignore or at worst to retaliate! Our natural reaction, if we are honest, is to retaliate against others. Either wi

Romans 12: Living Life Study 24: Humility of mind and spirit v16 - Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! Here are two of the main reasons that churches lack harmony – pride and know-it-alls!! Do you think that may describe somebody that you know? Or even yourself? There is to be no place in the Gospel, and therefore the Church itself, for pride and conceit. There is to be no favouritism within the life of the Church. Love does not show favouritism or partiality but love treats all people equally. The best person for the job, is the best person for the job – not the one shown favouritism. That isn’t to say we can’t have some people as friends and others not! But we are not to make differences between people based on things such as bank balances, social status, education, birthplace etc. Let not the educated look down upon the uneducated. Let not the financially rich not look down on the poor & homeless. Let males not look down upon females or fema

Romans 12: Living Life Study 23: Be Harmonious v16 Live in harmony with each other. I can hear you saying to yourself “Yeah right, Paul! Get a life, mate! Me? Live in harmony with that person over there? No way!” Yet to live in harmony with each other is to be our goal says Paul. If we were loving God and loving others as we ought, in the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within ALL believers in the church community – then believers should be able live in harmony with each other! As we have seen earlier, any group of believers in one location has spiritual gifts! No gift is more important than the other, yet I know from experience, that some Spiritual Gifts are lifted up more than others! The local church with its people is akin to a human body. Can a foot say it is more important than the brain? No! The brain controls the foot! Can the brain say it is more important then the heart? No! The heart pumps the blood which keeps the brain alive! Can the heart say it is more important than the foot? No

Romans 12: Living Life Study 22: Rejoice and sorrow v15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. I wonder if some times you are like me –you are sad when people you know have reason to be happy! We are like that as people! Jesus in Luke 15:25-30 indicates that this behaviour comes from envy! Or you are happy when people have reason to be sad or in trouble – your attitude is “They deserve it!” This is nothing short of malice. And unsurprisingly, it can come quite naturally to us! Paul here challenges the Roman readers and by proxy, us, with something totally alien to our natural way of behaving! Paul goes “be happy to the happy and weep with the weeping!” That is a counter to the way the world we live in operates. Sure some people who are not Christian may do it Paul’s way but in general they don’t. But that is not the way it is to be with the Church! We are to love others as we would want to be loved. Love is not detached or ignorant of other people’s joys and sorrows. Love does

Romans 12: Living Life Study 21: Bless and pray v14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Paul here seems to have had some teaching about what Jesus taught for here he echoes Jesus, who is now His master. (Matthew 5:43-44 and Luke 6:27-28.) To bless means to show kindness and love. Do you have enemies – people who don’t like you or loathe you because you are a Christian or for some other reason? I know some people who have been totally disowned by their own families because they became Christians. How are we to react? Paul here, echoes Jesus, commands that we are to show kindness and love. That is what bless means here - seeking the welfare of those that would cause us harm. It is a challenge to us because our natural reaction is usually to fight back or to ignore - that is curse. But we are challenged to pray for those who would wish us harm. Praying for their welfare is showing love for those who wish us harm. How can this be done? It can only be done us

Romans 12: Living Life Study 20: v13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Here in v13, Paul is referring to helping other Christians in need, as and when we can. Note I said need and not want. By helping other needy people in the Church, such love reflects God’s love. As well as evangelism, the Church also has a social mission – to help cover the needs of those outside the Church. Part of that need would be giving hospitality to people. We should be looking to pursue opportunities to give hospitality and not just when we want to. If I came to your door, cold, hungry and thirsty, would you feed me, give me a drink and put me near the heater? Jesus taught in the parable of the sheep and the goats from Matthew 25 that any act of love and mercy we do for others, was also an act of love and mercy toward Him. When we provide the needs of others and practise hospitality we are reaching out to others – just as God reaches out to humanity with a fre

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