Partake – Words In Scripture Explained –Sanctification

Welcome to WISE! The word for today is sanctification.

Cleaning Next time you are in a supermarket, count how many products there are on the shelves for cleaning! Oodles and oodles of them! Each one of them promising to make whatever is being cleaned, new again! Sometimes cleaning is hard work – particularly getting little boys or puppy dogs to take a bath! Cleaning and being cleansed, is a major part of living the Christian life! This is known as sanctification!

Sanctification

For as a Christian Disciple, you have been sanctified (Hebrews 10v10); washed clean (1 Corinthians 6v11); and are being transformed into the image of Jesus Christ and conformed to His likeness (2 Corinthians 3v18, Romans 8v28-29). You are to be a living sacrifice, transformed by the renewing of your minds (Romans 12v1-2). This holiness is the pursuit of moral excellence and is by necessity a high standard (1 Thessalonians 4v3)

Transformation

This process of sanctification is where God the Holy Spirit transforms you into the likeness of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 7v18), as the fruit of the Spirit, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”, is produced in your life as a Christian Disciple (Galatians. 5v22-23).

Your status

Your condition before God as a Christian Disciple is: ·

• Set apart for God - separated from sin. ·
• The attainment of moral holiness.

In principal,you are a saint, and God has already declared you sanctified ·

• You have been made holy (Hebrews 10v10) ·
• You are washed and sanctified (1 Corinthians 6v11)

Your practice

In practice, and in order to reflect these God given truths, as a growing Christian Disciple in the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, you should be ·

• Perfecting holiness, freed from the contamination of sin (2 Corinthians 7v1) ·
• Engaging in a continual process of becoming more like Jesus Christ (Romans 8v29; 2 Corinthians 3v18)
• Transforming your character by the renewal of your mind (Romans 12v1-2)

Life Long

This life-long process of sanctification is maintained by devotion to righteousness (Romans 6v19); with a desire and firm decision to live a life totally submitted to God. This is done by a work of God (1 Thessalonians. 5v23, Philippians 2v13), as you submit to the indwelling Holy Spirit. Sanctification is God’s way of showing He loves you. This sanctification is God showing you His love for you in action. He loves you far too much for you to remain as you are, but initiates and maintains this lifelong transformation into the very image of your Master, Jesus Christ, as you submit to Him. Sanctification can sometimes be a hard process, but the pursuit of righteousness and transformation is worth it, because by allowing yourself to be transformed and sanctified, you are also showing God how much you love Him.

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Partake – Words In Scripture Explained – Temptation

Welcome to Partake WISE. The word for today is temptation.

I don’t know if you have ever seen what appear to be silly safety signs such as this one that I saw on a chainsaw which said “Do not attempt to stop the chain with your hands." That would not be a temptation to me! But that’s what we are facing when we are tempted to sin and disobey God! When you are tempted to disobey God, either in action or inaction, you are not to touch it – just like you wouldn’t try to stop a chainsaw with your hands!!

Christian Disciples face constant temptation to disobey God and sin. However temptations are common experiences for all Christian Disciples. God allows temptations, but He will never let you be tempted beyond what He knows you can handle – that’s His promise. And even more, He always provides a means of escape from temptation! (1 Corinthians 10v12-13)!

Temptation it must be noted is not sin, or Jesus the sinless one would not be sinless! Rather it is the giving into temptation that is causes us to sin. By dealing with temptation at the very moment it confronts you, you show you are living a life worthy of Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us that as Christian Disciples we face temptation from three different angles: the world, our old nature and satan.

Here are some short guidelines to help you deal with temptation:

• Remembering the need to love God with a greater love for whatever tempts us (1 John 2:15).
• Acknowledging and remembering that sin’s power was nullified by Jesus’ death on the cross (Romans 6:11) and in living under the control of the Spirit’s power (Galatians 5:16).
• Remembering that you are as a Christian Disciple to be living a moment-by-moment dependence in faith on the Spirit’s power, and make a conscious decision by an act of your will to benefit from the Spirit’s power and assistance.
• Remember to continue to grow as a Christian Disciple and submit everything to God. If you are growing as Christian Disciples we grow more in love with God, and therefore our desire to sin and disobey Him grows less.

Remember that the Holy Spirit lives inside you, and greater is He that is in you than anything else in the world (1 John 4v4). Now that is a comforting thought, because it means we don’t face these temptations alone! So next time you are faced with temptation, pray and ask for God’s help! If you have specific sins that entangle you habitually, ask that the Holy Spirit will help you avoid the temptation! It may also mean that you are to avoid the situation or circumstance where you are being tempted.

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The book of 1 John summarised in one minute with key verses and key theme…

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The book of 2 Peter summarised in one minute with key verses and key theme…

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Tomorrow, Monday 16th June, the mission group at the Church I attend, will be meeting to discuss whether to formally take Partake Ministries as an official church mission partner... Below is the outline I gave them and it is also attached to this posting as a PDF... Thank you for your prayers...

Dave Roberts Partake Ministries

Why Partake?

It is going to be harder to be a Christian Disciple in the western world as time goes on, and so discipleship and learning solid biblical doctrine etc is essential in order to endure sufferings/ persecution... Also discipleship is just not done a whole lot in the church today..."

Vision Statement: Partake Ministries exists to communicate and disseminate resources for the purposes of Evangelism and Christian Discipleship by employing radical and relevant methods.

Mission Statement: With the help of the Holy Spirit, to strengthen those who are weak in faith; to comfort the spiritually uncomfortable and to make uncomfortable the spiritually comfort. This is done so that people would “partake of righteousness” Matthew 5v6, and that through their life of discipleship, Jesus would have supremacy (Colossians 1v18).

What do we do?

1. Write, produce and distribute evangelistic/discipleship resources. These would be distributed both online and through churches, with a suggested donation basis. Currently these include:

• ·ADD (Active Daily Discipleship) Partake! Discipleship Course. This will be distributed by audio CD and/or MP3 CD, and accompanied by a booklet outlining the teaching with appropriate questions. Talks of up to 10 minutes, completed and recorded. Being proof-read at the moment.
• The Jesus File - 8 short talks/videos of less than 3 minutes discussing Jesus evangelistically.
• The Bible File - 8 short talks/videos of less than 3 minutes discussing how we should interact with Scripture. Audio is complete so need to work on the videos.
• Bible Book in a Minute - where each book of the bible is summarised and key verses given within a minute. New Testament written and videos produced. The Old Testament is to be started.
• JOG (Jesus Overview in the Gospels) - Series of 10 minute talks. Completed and recorded. Being proof-read at the moment.
• BBW (Big Bible Words) - Short talks of no longer than 3 minutes, discussing some of the major words/themes of the Christian faith… Currently being worked upon.
• JAPE (Jesus' Anecdotes & Parables Explained) - Short talks of no longer than 3 minutes, discussing some of Jesus’ parables. Not started yet

2. The website(s) currently has on average about 100 unique visitors daily and on average 150 downloads occur. 3. Running a discipleship course on a lunchtime, evening or on a Saturday - either at PBC or another church in town. 4. Assist churches to use virtual communities and virtual reality in their local ministry. 5. Support smaller churches and lead worship and/or preach there in order to give the elders/pastor a break for a week. 6. Devising a welcoming & newcomers strategy for churches. 7. Devising a discipleship strategy for churches.

Reasons Why I Believe God Is In This Venture

• Other people have suggested it, including those churches that have turned me down for jobs.
• Other people who I don’t know, who have evaluated the resources.
• Other people who I do know, who say that it would suit my gifting.
• Through prayer and the regular prayer-walks I have engaged upon through Ringwood town.
• God has supplied 2 flexible and part-time jobs for me to remain in Ringwood and also have time for the development of Partake Ministries.
• Support Group has been set-up and Accountability Group will be set-up.

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Partake - Words In Scripture Explained – Old Nature & New Nature

Welcome to Partake WISE. The word for today is “old and new nature”…

Old clothing!

I wonder if you have ever had a favourite piece of clothing, say a coat, a shirt or a dress. It was so comfortable and cosy that you wore it seemingly every day. Then one day you realised that this coat was dirty and smelled badly. It was infested with fleas, mites and disease-ridden bacteria. It was filthy and needed washing. It was no longer fit to be worn yet you still wanted to wear it because it is so comfortable. But you couldn’t wear it, because it was only fit for burning and burying.

Swapping old for new!

That is the same for the Christian Disciple in regards to the old sinful nature that each person is born with. This old nature is in conflict with God, because it is self-centred and self-pleasing. When you became a Christian Disciple, you gained a new nature that is both God pleasing and God centred. When Jesus died on the cross, it was for your old sinful nature as well as your sins! Your baptism in water symbolizes your old inherent sinful nature as being buried with Jesus Christ (Romans 6v6) and you are raised to live a new life with a new nature (Romans 6v4)!

Why have this new nature?

Now that you are a Christian Disciple, and have a new nature, you are no longer separated from Him because of your old nature. You have a new nature and God has taken care of your past and He no longer holds your sin against you!

We fight the old with the new!

As a Christian Disciple, you have a new spiritual nature to help you fight the struggle against sin and disobedience against God who is now your King and master! Moreover, He has put His Spirit within you, and the more you allow Him to control you, the stronger your new nature becomes. Your old nature is gone, burned and buried. Continue living as if you are always putting on your new nature like a new coat, so that as His disciple, you are living a life worthy of His Holy Name.

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The book of 1 Peter summarised in one minute with key verses and key theme…

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Partake - Words In Scripture Explained – God the Father

Welcome to Partake WISE. The word for today is Father God

The vast majority of all people, to some extent, have had an earthly father. Your father may never have shown you love, consideration or friendship. On the other hand, your relationship with your father may have been everything you could hope and desire for in a father-child relationship. Either way, cast aside all thoughts of your earthly father, as we consider together God the Father.

The defining function of God the Father is that He is the Almighty who intervenes, sustains and provides for all things. God the Father is a perfect father.

The Father of All Creation

As all of humanity is made in the image of God, the Fatherhood of God must apply to all humanity. God is the Father of our Spirits (Hebrews 12v9). God as Father wants everyone to be in His kingdom (Luke18v16). By calling him Father that means that God is a personal God! He loves all of His creation and He sustains it! He wants them in a relationship with Him!

The Father of Jesus Christ

From when Jesus as a twelve year old proclaimed he was about His Father’s business, to His teaching on prayer when He said to call God, Father; to the agonising prayer of John 17 and in His final words on the cross, Jesus cried out “Father God, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23v46). The words Jesus spoke were those He heard from the Father. The actions Jesus did were those He saw the Father doing (John 5v19).

The Father of Christian Disciples

For the Christian Disciple, God is Father because Jesus Christ was the Son of God (Romans 8v17; Hebrews 2v17). Christian Disciples have been adopted as heirs and as children (John 1v12). The Christian Disciple is to partake of the Father’s nature (2 Peter 1v3-4)! God the Father both cares for His children (Matthew 6v32) and disciplines His children (Hebrews 12v6-8). Above all, Christian Disciples can never be separated from the love of God the Father (Romans 8v39).

Two books I can recommend on Father God are:

"The Father Heart of God" by Floyd McClung

“From the Father’s Heart” by Charles Slagle

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