Partakers Christian Podcasts

ADD - The Bible 02

Christian Disciple and the Bible 2

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The Bible as we have seen, tells of how God has spoken to all of humanity. God has spoken through revelation, inspiration and illumination. The next question you may well now be asking is this. Just how does the Holy Spirit illuminate the Bible to me? How can I see the Bible's perspicuity; understand what it says about God and get to know God more?

Keys To Understanding the Bible.

Firstly, pray that the Holy Spirit will help you as you read. That is part of His role in your life as a Christian Disciple and believer. He will use the Bible to enlighten and illuminate your mind, heart and will as you seek to be obedient to Him. Secondly, the Bible is inerrant, or without error, and that it is totally trustworthy. It does not contain errors or mistakes in its original form. That is in the original manuscripts and languages. It is not inerrant, however, in so far as the translation from those languages. As Christian Disciples, we do maintain the Bible as our final authority over all things. Thirdly, no part of the Bible will explicitly contradict another part. It is a balanced and unified message from a God who does not change. God is not a God of confusion, but a God of order. As you read it regularly and consistently, you will be amazed how it holds together. Fourthly, we are to keep what we are reading in context - not only in its immediate context, but also in context with the rest of the Bible. Take for example Psalm 14:1 where the Bible says "There is no God". What Psalm 14:1 actually says is that the fool in his heart has said "There is no God". It is also out of context with the rest of the Bible where God is said to exist, such as Genesis chapter 1. You can make the Bible say whatever you want it to say, by merely taking sections out of context, and thus creating pretexts. Ask yourself questions about the passage: How, who, when, where, why and what? Fifthly, use a Bible you can read easily. There are many translations available to suit the taste of anybody. You may like to use a Bible reading plan, which will take you through the Bible in a year. Lastly, expect to be changed when reading the Bible. Read it with an obedient heart, mind and will. The Bible is God's Written Word because it is active, and God will not cease transforming you into the image of Jesus the Living Word - which is the goal of Christian Discipleship.

The Bible Equips For Service!

One of the main ways that the Bible helps you, is by equipping you as a Christian for active service! There are at least four ways, in which the Bible does this in your life as a Christian! Firstly, is that the Bible both equips, and is useful for, evangelism and pointing others to Jesus Christ. When Philip the evangelist was talking to the Ethiopian about the Christ, it was Isaiah 53, which was the point of query. The bible also equips in order for you to give counsel & instruction to others seeking help. An example of this is seen when Paul urged Timothy to use Scripture when teaching others. Thirdly, the Bible equips you as a Christian to use your spiritual gifts. A spiritual gift is an ability given by the Holy Spirit, to you the believer, so that the church as a whole is encouraged and God is glorified. Your spiritual maturity derives from building Bible knowledge, which in turn helps you use your spiritual gifts in the best way possible. Finally, it also equips you for doing battle with Satan and resisting temptation. In writing to the Ephesians, Paul likened the believers' spiritual armor to that used by Roman foot soldiers. In this anecdote, the Bible is compared to a soldier's sword. A sword is not only used to defend, but also used to attack. Jesus fended off and attacked Satan by using Scripture to negate the temptation. You can use all these methods in order to live the Christian life, and also to grow into spiritual maturity. This is as you read your Bible regularly, asking the Holy Spirit to illuminate it to you, as you do so.

The Bible Helps Know God More

One of the very key teachings from the Bible is that God can be known personally. People are not naturally born possessing this knowledge, even though they know the very existence of God. Knowing that God exists is not the same as actually knowing God personally. In the same way that I know about the Queen, I don't know her personally. That is the same state people are in, with regards to God. Personal knowledge of God is ultimately crucial however, since knowing God personally and developing the relationship is what being a Christian is all about. As a Christian believer, you should be rejoicing that God earnestly desires you to attain this knowledge of Him, in order to know Him more and more. For this reason, He has spoken to you through His written Word, the Bible, revealing Himself and disclosing how you may know Him more. Whilst God can be known, your knowledge of God is partial and you will never know everything there is to be known about Him. Knowledge of Him is both wondrous and without end. As you grow spiritually, knowing the Bible and thus knowing Him more, you will grow in spiritual maturity. The Apostle Peter commands that you grow in the knowledge of Jesus. You do this as part of your spiritual journey, in order to become more like Jesus Christ. One of the Christian life's' greatest delights, is developing an intimate knowledge of God and of developing an intimacy with Him. The gospel, or the news of Jesus you share with other people, is rightly entitled:"the power of God to salvation". The Bible, and its gospel whereby people come to know God, are found in that the gospel is the agent of the new birth. The gospel is the soap or cleansing agent whereby God gives the believing sinner a spiritual bath resulting in salvation and the Bible is a teacher that brings wisdom, which leads to salvation.

The Bible Helps Know God's Will

God has a program for the universe and it is revealed only in the Bible. The overall will of God, is that all people come to believe and trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and their Saviour. After starting the Christian life, you discover God's program from humbly reading His written word, the Bible. God's initial will for those who believe is the changing and conforming of the believer into the likeness of Jesus. But this is only the beginning of God's work in you! This serves as merely an introduction into the lifelong process of becoming like Jesus. Paul writes "God who began the good work in you, will keep on working in you until the day Jesus Christ comes again". God will not abandon you, but will keep working in you, transforming you to be like Jesus Christ. Obeying God's will as revealed in the Bible, helps speed this transforming work along. It is work, because sometimes obedience is difficult and involves cost, yet worthwhile in the light of eternity. Secondly, as a Christian believer, you should not overlook God's work in this world. Was it not Jesus' who commanded all his followers to tell all men about Himself? God uses people to tell this gospel and conviction comes through the work of the Holy Spirit. This includes you, if you allow Him and seize every opportunity! Finally, believe it or not, God is at work in and through the church - His church. The church is to be a dynamic organism ordained by Jesus to do work for God. As the church reflects biblical truths to the world, God works through His Holy Spirit and through his followers in order to strengthen and bless the church. For more to think about please read in the Bible, Luke 24:25-35; Matthew Chapter 4:1-11; 2 Peter 3:14-18. Philippians 1:3-6. Ask yourself the following questions, writing them down if you can, and see how you respond or react to them. Then why not share your answers with your spouse or a close friend, so that you can pray over any issues together. 1. What do I understand by the word "inerrant" and authority in regards to the Bible? 2. What is my expectation when I read the Bible and in what ways can I use the Bible every day to be cleansed and grow in spiritual maturity? 3. How does the Bible help my relationship with God and allow God to reveal His will and programme? 4. Why should I reflect biblical truths in my life to those who do not know God?

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ADD - The Bible 01

Christian Disciple and the Bible 1

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A God Who Roars!

I once heard a lion roaring! He was in London zoo and I was in Regents Park in the quiet of the early morning. I wasn't able to make him roar. That happened in his own time, usually when he was alone early in the morning, when things were quiet and still. Then, his roar would bellow over the trees and buildings, cutting right through any traffic noise. Has God ever roared? As Christian Disciples, we believe that God has indeed roared. We believe that God has spoken to this world because He loves this world. 1 John 4:16 tells us that God is love. Part of love is a desire to both know, and to be known. That is why the prophets spoke and the Bible were written. This is why God became man in Jesus Christ, because God wanted to know and be known in the fullest, human way possible.

God speaks to the world by three methods.:

• Revelation: where God has caused the truth to be revealed.
• Inspiration: Where God causes the truth to be recorded.
• Illumination: because God causes the truth to be understood.

These three words, revelation, inspiration and illumination are what Christian Disciples believe about the Bible. It is God's revealed word about His Son Jesus Christ, inspired by His Holy Spirit and only illuminated within us, as we seek Him earnestly.

God Speaks by Revelation.

Revelation is how God has communicated truths to people, who otherwise would not know them. The story of creation in Genesis 1 and 2 is a good example of this. As humanity was not created until the sixth day, it must have been God who revealed the knowledge about what occurred on the first five days to the author of Genesis, or it would not be possible to know what occurred. We know God did speak to those who wrote the Bible; but how did He speak? Was it in Hebrew? Greek? Some form of angelic language? We know that He spoke to them in their own language, as he did to young Samuel in the temple. Samuel at first thought that the voice was that of Eli the priest. At other times God spoke through angels, as when the angel Gabriel informed Mary that she would give birth to Jesus. Another method of communication used by God was through dreams and visions. An example of this is in the birth story of Jesus Christ, whereby the wise men were warned in a dream not to return to King Herod. God has also communicated by way of a burning bush and from within of a cloud . God has even spoken through a donkey, as the prophet Balaam can testify! In the Old Testament, often God spoke through the "Angel of the Lord", which some believe to have been Jesus before He came to earth as a human. The Bible, as God's written word, is revelation because through its pages, the Bible reveals the Living Word, Jesus Christ.

God Speaks by Inspiration.

The actual word inspiration is only found once in the New Testament, where Paul explicitly states, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God" or more literally "God-breathed." Divine inspiration naturally proceeds from divine revelation. Whilst through revelation God speaks to man's ear, it is by inspiration that God works the pen, thus ensuring that the message is written correctly. This process of inspiration has several theories attached to it. One theory called the content theory, suggests that the author garnered the main idea from God, but God allowed the writer to choose his own words. Another is the natural theory, whereby the Biblical writers were inspired in the same sense that William Shakespeare was inspired. God did not suppress the writers' personalities. For example, the differences between the writing style of John and the writing style of Paul are easily recognizable. However, Jesus said that God chose the very letters of the words. This view states that God inspires all the words of the Bible. God was able to use humans, even with their limitations to say all that He needed to say. God wanted to communicate to ordinary people, so He used ordinary people to write and produce the Bible. In response to temptation by satan, Jesus said that man is to live by each of these God inspired words. Writers in the bible, such as Peter that knew their writings were being God guided. Peter said this was true of the Old Testament authors, his own writings and also true of Paul's. However inspiration does not guarantee the inspiration of any translation of the Bible, but only of the original manuscripts written in Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic.

God Speaks by Illumination

God has spoken and He has communicated His Written Word to us. Firstly by revelation when God spoke to the writers. Secondly, through inspiration as the writers were divinely guided by God, in the process of writing His message. However, in order to understand God's revealed and inspired message, illumination is required. This is where God causes the Bible to be understood by both the human heart and the mind. Why do we need of illumination? Without illumination, the reader is blinded both by his nature and by Satan. Just as a light bulb needs power in order to give light, so does the Bible need somebody to provide the power! The person, who does this illuminating, is God the Holy Spirit. He was promised by Jesus to illuminate the Bible to the hearts and minds of all people willing to listen, both Christian and non-Christian. Take for example the Holy Spirit's use of God's Word to illuminate sinners at Pentecost, where after hearing Simon Peter preach, three thousand people became Christian Disciples. However, as a Christian Disciple, you also need this illumination to help you understand God's Word. The Holy Spirit will show these tremendous truths to you as you read the Bible regularly, and ask for His help in understanding it. By the Holy Spirit illuminating the Bible, people's lives are transformed and changed. By way of the Holy Spirit illuminating the Bible as God's inspired written word, God's Living Word Jesus Christ is revealed. So, why not pray for His help when ever you read the Bible and ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate it to you? For more to think about, please read in the Bible, 2 Timothy 3:14-16; Deuteronomy 29:29; Isaiah 59:21; 1 Corinthians 2:10-16. Ask yourself the following questions, writing them down if you can, and see how you respond or react to them. Then why not share your answers with your spouse or a close friend, so that you can pray over any issues together. 1. What are the 3 methods in the Bible that God has used to speak to the world, and how would you define them? 2. Write down some examples from the Bible of "revelation". 3. What are the roles played by God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in regards to the Bible? 4. Can you tell the difference between two writers, such as the writer of 3 John and the writer of 2 Peter?

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Friday Prayers 15072011

Partakers Friday Prayers

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Welcome to Partakers Friday Prayers on Friday the 15th of July, 2011. Let us pray together! Father, as we commence, let our hearts and minds be right before you.  May your everlasting mercy, grace and love be shown in hearing these petitions! Father, we come before you now as your children. We thank you that you are a personal and intimate God and that we can call you Father. We thank you that you are interested in every facet of every person. We thank you that you are an active and dynamic God and not a mere block of wood or stone that is placed on a shelf.

2. The Prayer Jesus taught us

3. The World!

Father we lift this world to you, a world crying out for its redemption. We lift to you the people affected by the drought in the Horn of Africa.  How can we not look at the scenes coming to our television screens from Daadab refugee camp without compassion? Those people fleeing drought and fleeing war in Somalia.  Help those people Father, in ways which only You can achieve. Fire the imagination of people to solve these ongoing problems. Enlighten people to give generously, to share and to be looking to the interests of others. For those places where natural disasters have occurred, help the government and aid agencies to be quick to respond in bringing aid to the people affected. May justice and peace come to places where natural disasters have occurred and where strife and war currently dominate! Where there is chaos bring order and where there is hatred, sow love.

4. Others

We lift these dear ones to you, Father, who are in need of a healing touch and to be held in Your arms of compassion: Annette and her family grieving the loss of her mother and the grieving family of John who died suddenly Karyn who is unwell and unable to work at the moment; Elsie now recovering in hospital; Maureen in hospital after having had a stroke; Hannah who is now home after an operation but due for another operation this coming Tuesday; Gladys; Claire. For continued healing of Chris, Genevieve and Gladys. We also lift to you Father all those who are ill that you may provide a healing touch and guide the hands of the medical staff treating them. Father, we also lift before you, all those facing challenging situations: such as confinement at home, geographical isolation, lack of employment, health issues, and financial pressures.  Hear the cries of their hearts and our hearts, O Father, and give wisdom and courage to overcome and help the respective governments to send aid and be compassionate. We lift these people to You, trusting that you will meet their needs in what ever challenging situation is being faced, and we put ourselves in your hands to help meet those needs where we can. We ask these things, our Father God, in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen!

5. For church services and this world

Our Father God, we lift before you all those who are preaching, leading and participating in church services around the world this weekend, we ask that the Holy Spirit would guide their minds and that the worship will be in Spirit and in truth, that the Word as it is faithfully preached. For those in countries where to meet other Christians is illegal or not condoned by the government, we ask that you continue to strengthen, guide and uplift them. Let them know through Your Spirit, the Spirit that lives within all believers that we are praying for them. For the wider world, please do make your ways known upon earth, Lord God, your saving power among all peoples. Renew your Church in holiness and help us to serve you with joy. Guide the leaders of all nations, that justice may prevail throughout the world. Let not the needy be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor be taken away. Make us instruments of your peace and let your glory be over all the earth. For the wider world, Lord God, Renew your Church in holiness and help us to serve you with joy. Make us instruments of your peace and let your glory be over all the earth.

6. Your own prayers

Now there will be a short time of prayer where you can give to God things that are on your own mind and heart.  Let us continue praying... Lord in your mercy, hear these prayers of your children.  Amen May it be that your love takes over our lives and that we follow you faithfully, giving praise to you alone in all circumstances we face together. We ask these things Father, through the majestic name of Your Son, Jesus Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit who lives inside us! Amen Thank you for joining us on Partakers Friday Prayers. If you would like to post a prayer request in the comments below, either named or anonymous, we will pray for you.

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Worship 20110713

Worship Wednesday

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Order of Service

G'day and welcome to Partakers Wednesday Worship on the 13^th of July, 2011

Song - Your Love O Lord - Steve Gooden

in the public domain http://www.firefighters.org

Prayer of Confession

Old Testament - Psalm 93

New Testament - Romans 5:1-11

Prayers

Be exalted, Lord, above the heavens, let your glory cover the earth. Keep our nations under your care, and guide us in justice and truth. Let your way be known by all people, your saving power among all nations. Send out your light and your truth, that we may tell of your saving works. Lord, hear our prayers, for we put our trust in you. Lord we lift to you all those affected by the drought in the Horn of Africa.  Hear their cries! Help the aid agencies and national governments to assist these people quickly! And especially for a dear friend, Lynn, who fell and injured herself. We pray for quick healing and assure her of your love for her. We ask this in Jesus Name, Amen!

Bible Talk

You are loved by God and blessed by Him! In Jesus Christ, the love of God was seen and exemplified! Here are 7 reasons or blessings to affirm you as a Christian from our Bible reading in Romans 5v1-11.

1. We have peace with God (v1).
2. We have access to God (v2a).
3. We have a glorious hope (v2b)
4. We develop Christian character (v3-4).
5. We have God's love within us (v5-8).
6. We have salvation from future wrath (v9-10).
7. We have reconciliation with God (v11

These 7 blessings of your being a Christian show how certain you can be that God loves you, has blessed you and you are His child. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal saviour, then His love and blessings are yours!

Benediction

May the love of God the Father, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all, evermore. Amen

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Think Spot

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Think Spot - 11th July 2011

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G’day and welcome to Partake! Welcome also to Monday and our Think Spot together! Last Monday we looked at serving God where ever you are with a clear conscience. How did you get on with doing it? This week we look at a follow on from that to meekness. What is meekness? Isn't meekness, merely weakness? That's what we are told often enough by people outside the church! Yet meekness is not weakness! Meekness is giving up our personal rights to God alone! A meek person is one who claims no personal rights of their own, and who is willing to yield all possessions and personal rights to God.  A meek person sees these things as being loaned by God for His work and glory. Being meek in all situations takes a strong character, for example Moses (Numbers 12:1-3). Giving up your rights and all you own to God alone, is talked about often in the Bible. Some of the results of giving up your rights to God can be found in: - Psalm 22:26; Psalm 25:9; Psalm 37:8-11; Psalm 149:4 Isaiah 29:19; Matthew 11:28-30. (1.15) As followers of Jesus you and I need to give up our own rights and possessions to Him because:

• You and I belong to God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)#
• We are instructed to be meek by Jesus (Luke 9:23)
• It follows the example. of the New Testament church (Acts 5:32)

When we insist on our own personal rights and those rights are violated, the main consequences are anger and anxiety. They occur when we try to control or change something God never intended us to change or control. When we react and resist, we deny God His right to do what; He wants to do. When we get angry and when we worry, these are signs that there are rights God wants us to yield to Him. How do you yield rights and possessions over to God? Firstly, identify them! Check where in your life anger and or anxiety exist. Then ask the Holy Spirit to work on your heart, prayerfully considering each area, yielding all to Jesus. When you do that, God becomes responsible for those areas. Secondly, expect God to test His rights. Having handed them to God, He may allow situations to occur which will deny you these rights, to see if that right was really given to Him. It may be necessary to once again yield that right to Jesus. As you respond to each test, meekness develops. Go into this week, knowing that God is at work in you! You are to be His servants and you are not your own! You were bought at a price by God! Through the meekness of Jesus Christ' work on the cross. Father I pray that as we give our personal rights to you, that you give us strength to overcome with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives within us as your children. We ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ! Amen! Praying also for a cousin of a friend of mine. Her name is Karen and she is in a coma due to a brain haemorrhage.  Father we lift Karen to you now and ask You go restore Karen to full health either through Your own hand or through the work of the medical staff. Be with her friends and family, comfort them and encompass them in your arms of compassion. Amen!

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Friday Prayers 08072011

Partakers Friday Prayers

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Welcome to Partakers Friday Prayers on Friday the 8^st of July, 2011. Let us pray together! Father, as we commence, let our hearts and minds be right and still before you. May your everlasting mercy, grace and love be shown in hearing these petitions!

• For Elsie we pray for a full and speedy recovery after she broke her foot.
• For Maureen in hospital following a stroke.
• For Hannah who is having to spend time in hospital and enduring skin grafts. Pray also as she is getting very bored and fed up of being in there. We also lift her family before you as well, as they are having to make adjustments.
• For continued healing of Chris, Genevieve and Gladys.

Father, for all those facing challenging situations such as confinement at home, lack of employment and financial pressures, hear the cries of their hearts and give wisdom and courage to overcome. We ask these things, our Father God, in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Our Father God, we lift before you all those who are preaching, leading and participating in church services around the world this weekend, we ask that the Holy Spirit would guide their minds and that the worship will be in Spirit and in truth, that the Word as it is faithfully preached. For those in countries where to meet other Christians is illegal or not condoned by the government, we ask that you continue to strengthen, guide and uplift them. Let them know through Your Spirit, the Spirit that lives within all believers, that we are praying for them. For the wider world, please do make your ways known upon earth, Lord God, your saving power among all peoples. Renew your Church in holiness and help us to serve you with joy. Guide the leaders of all nations, that justice may prevail throughout the world. Let not the needy be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor be taken away. Make us instruments of your peace and let your glory be over all the earth. Now there will be a short time of prayer where you can give to God things that are on your own mind and heart. Let us continue praying... Lord in your mercy, hear these prayers of your children. Amen We clase these prayers, with the prayer Jesus gave his disciples:

Thanks for joining us on Partakers Friday Prayers. If you would like to post a prayer request in the comments below, either named or anonymous, we will pray for you.

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Worship 20110706

Worship Wednesday

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Order of Service

G'day and welcome to Partakers Wednesday Worship on the 6th of July, 2011. Lets start today with a song and we are listening to Steve Gooden singing "Amazing Grace" (In the public domain at http://ffmp3.firefighters.org/gooden.asp).

Bible Readings

Old Testament - Psalm 117 New Testament - Colossians 3:1-4

Prayers

Be exalted, Lord, above the heavens, let your glory cover the earth. Keep our nation under your care, and guide us in justice and truth. Let your way be known by all people, your saving power among all nations.

Send out your light and your truth, that we may tell of your saving works. Lord, hear our prayers, for we put our trust in you.

Amen

Message (Outline)

We are marked as Christians, but not outwardly visible marks, but internal one! Paul tells us what marks us out as Christians is:

1. We died with Christ
2. We are raised with Christ
3. We live with Christ
4. We are hidden with Christ
5. We will be glorified with Christ

These marks cover our past, our present and our future! So what? How do we apply this to our life?

Benediction

May the love of God the Father, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all, evermore. Amen

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Think Spot

Think Spot - 4th July 2011

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G’day and welcome to Partake! Welcome also to Monday and our Think Spot together! Happy 4th July to those in the USA! C. Bronte once said “Life appears to me to be too short to be spent in nursing animosity, or registering wrong.” Many people nurse a guilty conscience owing to holding onto animosity or wrongs done to them or having done wrong things to others. As a consequence, their life is filled with turmoil and bitterness. You may well be like that – I don’t know! What I do know is that your conscience is the faculty which is sensitive to right and wrong, and judges your actions and attitudes. Everybody has a conscience and all are sensitive to spiritual truths, whether they are immediately aware of it or not. According to the Bible, a clear conscience is essential for inner peace and joy, confidence in prayer, good health, effective service, .right relation-ships, effective witnessing, making right decisions, and victory in spiritual battle. A clear conscience is the inner joy and peace of spirit which results from having all personal wrongs made right with those whom a person had offended - either God or someone else. However- many Christians carry around guilty consciences due mainly to unconfessed sins, affecting relationships with God, other people and themselves. If left unchecked, a conscience which is guilty, slowly grows 'dead', cold and silent. That is until such time that the guilt has been assuaged and put right. If at the moment you are burdened by a guilty conscience, ask the Holy Spirit to show you clearly what is affecting your conscience. Then decide, at any cost, to clear it up in the power of the same Spirit. He will help you! Pray to the Father and ask forgiveness, (1 John 1:9), and fully accept His love and forgiveness. If there is anyone else involved, then you will also need to ask for their forgiveness (Matthew 5:23-24). Ask the Father to help you go, and the Spirit will help you, because one of the hardest things in the world to say is: “I was wrong! Please forgive me." Your conscience can be cleansed because of what Jesus did on the cross! Hebrews 9:14 says “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” Go into this week, ready to serve the living God, being confident that the Holy Spirit living within you, empowers you, is transforming you and desires that your conscience be clear. He will help you overcome if you ask!

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Friday Prayers 01072011

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Partakers Friday Prayers

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Order of Service

Welcome to Partakers Friday Prayers on Friday the 1^st of July, 2011. Let us pray together! Father, as we commence, let our hearts and minds be right and still before you.  May your everlasting mercy, grace and love be shown in hearing these petitions! For Luke who is recovering from being knocked down by a car. We pray for a full recovery and thank you he is back at University! For Zoe, Darienne, Claire, Heather, Tony's mum and others who are suffering from health issues we ask O Father, that you help the medical staff to treat and heal. For their families, give peace of mind and embrace all in your arms of compassion. Father, for all those facing challenging situations such as confinement at home, lack of employment and financial pressures, hear the cries of their hearts and give wisdom and courage to overcome. We ask these things, our Father God, in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. For those who are preaching, leading and participating in church services around the world this weekend, we ask that the Holy Spirit would guide their minds and that the worship will be in Spirit and in truth, that the Word as it is faithfully preached. Praying specifically for Mark Meynell who is preaching at short notice at All Souls Langham Place, on Psalm 130. Give him the words to speak with boldness and clarity, so that people's lives are changed for your glory. For the wider world, please do make your ways known upon earth, Lord God, your saving power among all peoples. Renew your Church in holiness and help us to serve you with joy. Guide the leaders of all nations, that justice may prevail throughout the world. Let not the needy be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor be taken away. Make us instruments of your peace and let your glory be over all the earth Now there will be a short time of prayer where you can give to God things that are on your own mind and heart.  Let us continue praying... Lord in your mercy, hear these prayers of your children.  Amen Thanks for joining us on Partakers Friday Prayers. If you would like to post a prayer request in the comments below, either named or anonymous, we will pray for you.

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