Episodes
Thursday Aug 29, 2013
Thursday Ponderings
Thursday Aug 29, 2013
Thursday Aug 29, 2013
29th August 2013
Pauline's Ponderings!
I love the honesty of children. I remember knocking on a next door neighbours house, after moving to Dorset. The front door opened to reveal a young boy, “ Why are you so small?” he inquired. I was slightly taken aback, to say the least, as this was the first thing he had uttered.
As adults, we learn to say the right thing. We wear masks sometimes with God, we are not honest with him about how we are feeling about the person at homegroup who is driving us mad, or about our disappointment that we did not get that job we just applied for. God wants us to be honest with Him. Psalm 34:5 says Never hide your feelings from Him... Psalm 62:8 says Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. (NIV)
This verse brings me on to the next quality I admire in children. That is the absolute trust, young children have in their parents to look after them, to do the right thing for them at all times. It’s that sort of trust our heavenly father wants us to have in Him :-And Jesus said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:3 NIV)
No matter what the circumstances seem to be suggesting, we should believe that He is working behind the scenes and that from a heavenly point of view, it will work out in our best interests. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28 NIV)
When I say a heavenly point of view, I mean, that we might end up with, a bit more compassion for people with health problems, more understanding of how hard it is to face redundancy,once we’ve suffered ill health or lost a job ourselves. We sometimes mistakenly assume that if God is working in our best interests that means we will get our dream job or be healed immediately! That is not always the case!
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Wednesday Aug 28, 2013
WOW Word 31
Wednesday Aug 28, 2013
Wednesday Aug 28, 2013
WOW Word 31
Sovereignty of God
The WOW Word today is Sovereignty! 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 will not produce potatoes.” Our reaction should be to plan in view of that.
But...
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Monday Aug 26, 2013
Think Spot
Monday Aug 26, 2013
Monday Aug 26, 2013
Think Spot - 26th August 2013
G'day and welcome to Partakers! We have the start of a new week! Its Monday! How and in what circumstances are you trusting God? How did Jesus Christ trust in the Father? Jesus knew that the Father was going to bring Him back to life after his death on the cross. Jesus trusted the Father in this area of His life, just as he did in all aspects of his life. How are you doing? Do you have concerns and areas of your life where you need an assurance that God the Father will help you?Here are some simple steps which may help you maintain a trust in God.
- Pray, casting all anxiety on God. He cares for you because you are His personal concern (The great apostle Peter, one of Jesus' closest friends wrote this in 1 Peter 5:7 "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.")
- Accept and thank God that His peace has filled that area (Another great apostle, Paul, wrote this in Philippians 4:7 "Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.")
- Learn to be content whatever your circumstances are, resting in God (Paul goes on in Philippians 4:11-12 "Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.")
- Allow the Spirit to control your mind for life and peace (and again from the pen of the apostle Paul, this time in Romans 8:6 "So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.")
- Trust God to fulfil your every need (Matthew records these words of Jesus in Matthew 6:32-33 "but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." )
- Obey and follow God's commands to love God and love others (Jesus is recorded in Matthew 22:37-40 "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.' The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.")
- Finally, be prepared to be obedient to the Father, in supplying the needs of others you meet and therefore showing you love God and other people!
Father, I pray that You would help us to trust in You and that You would supply our needs, calm our concerns and help us to love You and others more fully. I ask this through the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit who lives inside all those who have peace with you. Amen
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Sunday Aug 25, 2013
Sunday Worship
Sunday Aug 25, 2013
Sunday Aug 25, 2013
Be Thou My Vision
performed by Julie McMinn
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This song, "Be Thou My Vision" is a traditional hymn from Ireland, which is commonly attributed to Dallán Forgaill.
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night!
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Play and/or download the video - Come and worship the King of all Kings!
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Friday Aug 23, 2013
Friday Prayers
Friday Aug 23, 2013
Friday Aug 23, 2013
Partakers Friday Prayers!
23rd August 2013!
We pray together and when Christians pray together, including across the internet and from different times, different nations, different churches and different denominations - that reveals Church unity!
Today we pray once more, a Morning Prayer from the Syrian Clementine Liturgy. This Liturgy, dates from the 4th century, and was celebrated in Syria and throughout the Church of Antioch. It is the oldest model known in Antioch, and is a liturgy is related to the Apostle James. Come pray!
Syria at the moment is in turmoil. Let us pray for peace in this ancient land...
A Morning Prayer from the 4th Century Syrian Clementine Liturgy
O God,
You are the unsearchable abyss of peace,
the ineffable sea of love,
the fountain of blessings,
and the bestower of affection.
~~~~~
O God,
You who sends peace to those that receive it;
open to us this day the sea of Your love,
and water us with the plenteous streams
from the riches of Your grace.
~~~~~
Make us children of quietness, and heirs of peace.
Kindle in us the fire of Your love;
sow in us Your fear;
strengthen our weakness by Your power!
~~~~~
Bind us closely to You
and to each other
in one firm bond of unity;
for the sake of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
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Thursday Aug 22, 2013
Thursday Ponderings
Thursday Aug 22, 2013
Thursday Aug 22, 2013
22nd August 2013
Fear of the Lord
It is not popular or common in Christian circles to talk about the fear of the Lord. People much prefer to emphasis a loving, fluffy God who forgives everything. They tend to ignore the discipline side of God. In Acts 5, we have a chilling account of how God deals with two Christians who lie. Basically they drop dead. That is how seriously God takes sin and we would do well to remember that on a daily basis.
We are all in the land of the enemy and are subject to his attacks in spirit soul and body, but God says, "Give no place to the Devil" Eph 4:27 That means that the devil cannot take a place in us if we do not let him. We open the way for him to come in if we sin the smallest sin in word, thought or deed and gives place for the devil to do us harm. I'm going to repeat that because it is very important. We open a way for the devil to come into our lives and attack us when we commit the smallest sin in word, in thought or in deed.Another way we can let the devil in to attack us is to become apathetic, to become lazy in the amount of time we spend with God seeking his will. If you fit your quiet time in whilst you're eating your breakfast, or making your packed lunch do you expect anyone to believe that God is the most important thing in your life. Or if you get into bed last thing at night and read your bible for 20 minutes before putting out the light. That's not loving God.
If you love someone you spend lots of time with them, you hang around them as soon as they come in the door you stop watching your favourite TV prog in order to spend time with them. You get up an hour earlier in the morning to be in their prescence. You spend lunch with them. You spend time listening to them, asking them what their desires are? Your weekends are planned around them, so you can be together as much as possible. Does that sound like the time you spend with God?
- 1 Peter 5:8 - be vigilant (watch all the time) because your adversary the devil walks about liking a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.'
- Job 28:28 - And he said to the human race, "The fear of the Lord-that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding."
- Psalm 33:8 - Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him. It's a choice! We choose to fear the Lord or to not fear the Lord
- Proverbs 1:29 - since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD.
How do fear the Lord in practice
- Deuteronomy 6:2 - so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.
- Psalm 112:1 - Praise the LORD. Blessed are those who fear the LORD, who find great delight in his commands.
- Psalm 128:1 - Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in obedience to him
- Psalm 34:11-14 Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
Benefits of fearing the Lord
- Psalm 112:1 - Praise the LORD. Blessed are those who fear the LORD, who find great delight in his commands.
- Psalm 128:1 - Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in obedience to him
- Psalm 25:14 -The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.
- Psalm 34:7 - The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
- Psalm 34:9 - Fear the LORD, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing
- Psalm 103:13 - As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
- Psalm 147:11 - the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.
It's hard work
Proverbs 2:1-6 "My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding- indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God."
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Monday Aug 19, 2013
Think Spot
Monday Aug 19, 2013
Monday Aug 19, 2013
Think Spot 19 August 2013
Matthew 5:9 records Jesus speaking these words "God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God."All over the world, people share a common desire for peace! But what is peace? The peace the world wants varies from the peace the Christian knows. The world sees peace as the absence of conflict and people being generally ‘nice' to one another. Peace in the Christian context goes further, saying peace is perfect harmony with God, other people, circumstances and self. Therefore perfect peace will not come until Jesus Christ comes again, and takes Christians to be with Him.
That doesn't give us as Christians a mandate to sit around not doing what we can for peace, because we are commanded to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9), our 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). Peace is to be our business!
In a world full of conflicts, such as conflicts between nations, conflicts between neighbours, conflicts even within families and conflicts within and between churches, Christians are to be peacemakers! With that in mind, here are some thoughts on what the Bible has to say on peace, to help you this week be a peacemaker:
1. Peace with God
- Justified by faith (Romans 5:1-2)
- Christ is our peace between God and man and between men (Ephesians 2:13-18)
2. Peace with others
- Live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:17-20)
- Do everything possible which leads to peace and mutual encouragement (Romans 14:13-19)
- Be a peacemaker - a sign of real wisdom producing a harvest of righteousness (Matthew 5:9, James 3:17-18)
3. Peace within/circumstances
- Peace is a gift of God (John 14:27, 2 Thessalonians3:16)
- Worldly peace requires manipulation of circumstances, God's peace comes regardless of circumstances
- We have peace in troubled times - an untroubled, unfearful heart and mind (John 16:33)
Father, I pray that this week we will do all we can to be peacemakers and make a difference in world in conflict. I ask this through the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit who lives inside all those who have peace with you. Amen
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Sunday Aug 18, 2013
Sunday Worship
Sunday Aug 18, 2013
Sunday Aug 18, 2013
Testimony about
the role of Joy
in the life of a Christian
With Sue & Katy
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Sue and Katy talk briefly about the role of God-given joy in their lives!
Shout with joy to God, all the earth!
Sing the glory of his name;
make his praise glorious!
Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.
All the earth bows down to you;
they sing praise to you,
they sing praise to your name."
Selah
~
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Friday Aug 16, 2013
Friday Prayers
Friday Aug 16, 2013
Friday Aug 16, 2013
Partakers Friday Prayers!
16th August 2013!
We pray together and when Christians pray together, including across the internet and from different times, different nations, different churches and different denominations - that reveals Church unity!
you have given us grace at this time with one accord
to make our common supplication to you;
and you have promised through your well-beloved Son
that when two or three are gathered together in his Name
you will be in the midst of them:
Fulfil now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us;
granting us in this world knowledge of your truth,
and in the age to come life everlasting.
In The Name of The Father , Son, and Holy Spirit!
Lord, deprive me not of Your heavenly and eternal blessings.
Lord, deliver me from everlasting torments.
Lord, if I have sinned in word or deed, in mind or spirit, forgive me.
Lord, deliver me from all distress, ignorance,
forgetfulness, laziness and stony hardness of heart.
Lord, deliver me from all temptations and spiritual abandonment.
Lord, enlighten my heart which has been darkened by evil desire.
Lord, being human, I sin; but You, being God, have mercy on me.
Lord, take heed of the weakness of my soul,
and help me with Your grace that Your holy name may be glorified in me.
Lord Jesus Christ, inscribe the name of Your servant in the book of life,
granting me a blessed end.
Lord my God,
I have done nothing good;
yet by Your compassion help me to make a new beginning.
Lord, refresh my heart with the dew of Your grace.
Lord, God of heaven and earth,
remember me, who am sinful, wretched, evil and impure, in Your kingdom, according to Your steadfast love.
Lord, receive me in repentance and do not forsake me.
Lord, put me not to the test.
Lord, grant me good thoughts.
Lord, grant me tears of repentance, remembrance of death and contrition.
Lord, grant me sincere confession of my thought.
Lord, grant me humility, deliverance from my own will and obedience.
Lord, grant me patience, forbearance and meekness.
Lord, implant in me Your holy fear, the source of all blessings.
Amen
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Thursday Aug 15, 2013
Thursday Ponderings
Thursday Aug 15, 2013
Thursday Aug 15, 2013
15th August 2013
There are many things we should do if we love God. One of those things is to spend time getting to know Him, and one of the ways we can achieve this is to read His Word, the Bible.James 1:22-25 - Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it-not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it-they will be blessed in what they do.
That's a pretty good promise to be blessed in all you do, but you can't do what the word says if you don't know what it says or understand it.
Philippians 2:14-16 - Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, "children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation." Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.
Again you can't hold firmly to the word of life which is God's word written in the Bible unless you know it.
Ephesians 6 talks about putting on the armour of God to protect ourselves in the spiritual battle, which we all find ourselves involved. Part of the armour of God and a very important part is mentioned in v17.
Ephesians 6:17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Again if you don 't know the word of God it is very difficult to quote it at when you need to. I find quoting scripture out loud when I am anxious or fearful very helpful, no matter what the situation.
Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."
The other day I was chatting to a Jehovah's Witness who was door knocking. She mentioned that often she talks to Christians who go to church regularly but don't know their bibles. That made me so sad and I want to encourage you to read your bible more and not only read it but understand it. There are many study aids out there at many different levels to help you, such as the free ones on this website. If you can't afford to buy one I'm sure your vicar or pastor would be happy to help you out..