Partakers Christian Podcasts

Romans 12 - Living Life - Part 14

Romans 12: Living Life

Study 14: Go! Love! Really Love!

v9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them.

To have a gift or gifts, such as those Paul lists here, is a sign of God’s love for you! Therefore you are to love others – all others. If you are doing it after God’s own interests and the welfare of other people then you really do love others. Really love them! People can smell out fake love in an instant! If you are doing things for your own interest and welfare, and patronising towards others or as a means to manipulate them, then that is a fake love.


Why do you do what you do for God and for other people? Is it because you are driven by your love for God and love for others? This is love for others without pretence or hypocrisy. That is real love! If it is for any other reason, then it is not real love. That includes loving those who wouldn’t naturally be the target of your love - including those who hate you and those who have done you wrong. To love only those who love us, is what those outside the church expect as normal behaviour. But as Christian Disciples, we are to do more and to be seen to love more than any other people! That can be very hard to do. But if we use the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, then we can do it. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you and He will.


How is the invisible God seen? God is seen through Christian Disciples showing love for other people. If the Church was to be seen as loving others and loving their local community, the Gospel message, the story of God’s love, would have an enormous impact. The Christian Disciple is to be so filled and magnetized with God’s love and grace, that it is a magnetic attraction to others to the majestic goodness of the awesome God that they serve and obey. Our motive for all things is to be love. That includes gently restoring people into living a life worthy of following God if they are a Christian Disciple. There can be no excuse for sin in the life of those who claim to follow Jesus Christ.


How and in what way do we love – love God and love others? That is what Paul goes on to say! Go and love!

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Psalm On Demand - Psalm 105

Psalm 105

¹ Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;

make known among the nations what he has done.

² Sing to him, sing praise to him;

tell of all his wonderful acts.

³ Glory in his holy name;

let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

⁴ Look to the LORD and his strength;

seek his face always.

 

⁵ Remember the wonders he has done,

his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,

⁶ O descendants of Abraham his servant,

O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.

⁷ He is the LORD our God;

his judgments are in all the earth.

⁸ He remembers his covenant forever,

the word he commanded, for a thousand generations,

⁹ the covenant he made with Abraham,

the oath he swore to Isaac.

 

¹⁰ He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,

to Israel as an everlasting covenant:

¹¹ "To you I will give the land of Canaan

as the portion you will inherit."

¹² When they were but few in number,

few indeed, and strangers in it,

¹³ they wandered from nation to nation,

from one kingdom to another.

 

¹⁴ He allowed no one to oppress them;

for their sake he rebuked kings:

¹⁵ "Do not touch my anointed ones;

do my prophets no harm."

¹⁶ He called down famine on the land

and destroyed all their supplies of food;

¹⁷ and he sent a man before them-

Joseph, sold as a slave.

 

¹⁸ They bruised his feet with shackles,

his neck was put in irons,

¹⁹ till what he foretold came to pass,

till the word of the LORD proved him true.

²⁰ The king sent and released him,

the ruler of peoples set him free.

²¹ He made him master of his household,

ruler over all he possessed,

²² to instruct his princes as he pleased

and teach his elders wisdom.

 

²³ Then Israel entered Egypt;

Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.

²⁴ The LORD made his people very fruitful;

he made them too numerous for their foes,

²⁵ whose hearts he turned to hate his people,

to conspire against his servants.

 

²⁶ He sent Moses his servant,

and Aaron, whom he had chosen.

²⁷ They performed his miraculous signs among them,

his wonders in the land of Ham.

²⁸ He sent darkness and made the land dark-

for had they not rebelled against his words?

 

²⁹ He turned their waters into blood,

causing their fish to die.

³⁰ Their land teemed with frogs,

which went up into the bedrooms of their rulers.

³¹ He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,

and gnats throughout their country.

³² He turned their rain into hail,

with lightning throughout their land;

³³ he struck down their vines and fig trees

and shattered the trees of their country.

³⁴ He spoke, and the locusts came,

grasshoppers without number;

³⁵ they ate up every green thing in their land,

ate up the produce of their soil.

 

³⁶ Then he struck down all the firstborn in their land,

the firstfruits of all their manhood.

³⁷ He brought out Israel, laden with silver and gold,

and from among their tribes no one faltered.

³⁸ Egypt was glad when they left,

because dread of Israel had fallen on them.

³⁹ He spread out a cloud as a covering,

and a fire to give light at night.

 

⁴⁰ They asked, and he brought them quail

and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

⁴¹ He opened the rock, and water gushed out;

like a river it flowed in the desert.

⁴² For he remembered his holy promise

given to his servant Abraham.

⁴³ He brought out his people with rejoicing,

his chosen ones with shouts of joy;

⁴⁴ he gave them the lands of the nations,

and they fell heir to what others had toiled for-

⁴⁵ that they might keep his precepts

and observe his laws.

Praise the LORD.

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Romans 12 - Living Life - Part 13

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 it! Laughter can be good medicine when used appropriately! As Calvin said “to observe sadness in the countenance of those by whom assistance is given, makes them to feel themselves despised.”


How are you and your church being kind and merciful to people in need? How are those you know who are housebound being shown kindness? Are you and the church using imagination to be kind and merciful – helping people to be a part of the church community? How can you help with kindness and mercy those who are unemployed and looking for work? Let each of us use our imaginations to help those in need with kindness and mercy.


I read today of a homeless man who died in one of the richest parts of London. As he died, he fell and was found dead impaled on fence railings. The link to the story is here. Imagine if that man had been shown genuine kindness and mercy? To be fair, he may have rejected any kindness towards him. I don’t know. But I do know that we sometimes reject the kindness and mercy of people out of pride instead of accepting with gratitude and humility. I know I am like that sometimes!


Go! Be cheerfully kind and merciful. Thank you.

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Romans 12 - Living Life - Part 12

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.


As a leader, you are being watched and looked up to by those you lead – whether you want to be or not. As a leader, you are not to lead others by being filled with pride and being unapproachable! Rather, you are to lead others with godly humility, be encouraging of others cheerfully and being approachable. As a leader you are to set the example, and demonstrate a way forward to those you are leading. WOW!


Good leadership also has good accountability to others as well as to the whole community. As a leader, are you accountable to anybody else for what you do and how you do it? As part of your Godly responsibility, you are to be accountable to others to live a life of integrity worthy of the gospel, which is seen to be as holy and blameless. As a leader, it is a necessity that you be dependent on the Holy Spirit for strength and care – remember that He lives within you!


Finally, whether you are a leader or not, pray for your church leaders – they need your prayers and dare I say, they will covet your prayers for them.

Go! Lead others with diligence, responsibility, love and care.

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Romans 12 - Living Life - Part 11

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 when you are the receiver of somebody else’s generous giving to you? Too often we don’t give generously and use the excuse of it being poor stewardship of our money as the reason not to give generously to those in need.
If you are in need and somebody offers to help you generously, how do you react? Do you accept with humility and a grateful heart, giving thanks to God for His provision through other people? Or, in your hour of need, are you too proud to accept the help of God as He uses other people as His hands and feet? Too often we can hinder the work of God in our lives because we are too proud to accept help when it is offered.

Giving – go and give generously to somebody in need today and every day!

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Psalm On Demand - Psalm 71

Psalm 71

71:1 In you, Yahweh, I take refuge. Never let me be disappointed.
71:2 Deliver me in your righteousness, and rescue me. Turn your ear to me, and save me.
71:3 Be to me a rock of refuge to which I may always go. Give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.
71:4 Rescue me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

~

71:5 For you are my hope, Lord Yahweh; my confidence from my youth.
71:6 I have relied on you from the womb. You are he who took me out of my mother’s womb. I will always praise you.
71:7 I am a marvel to many, but you are my strong refuge.
71:8 My mouth shall be filled with your praise, with your honor all the day.

~

71:9 Don’t reject me in my old age. Don’t forsake me when my strength fails.
71:10 For my enemies talk about me. Those who watch for my soul conspire together,
71:11 saying, “God has forsaken him. Pursue and take him, for no one will rescue him.”

71:12 God, don’t be far from me. My God, hurry to help me.

~

71:13 Let my accusers be disappointed and consumed. Let them be covered with disgrace and scorn who want to harm me.
71:14 But I will always hope, and will add to all of your praise.
71:15 My mouth will tell about your righteousness, and of your salvation all day, though I don’t know its full measure.
71:16 I will come with the mighty acts of the Lord Yahweh. I will make mention of your righteousness, even of yours alone.

~

71:17 God, you have taught me from my youth. Until now, I have declared your wondrous works.
71:18 Yes, even when I am old and gray-haired, God, don’t forsake me, until I have declared your strength to the next generation, your might to everyone who is to come.
71:19 Your righteousness also, God, reaches to the heavens; you have done great things. God, who is like you?
71:20 You, who have shown us many and bitter troubles, you will let me live. You will bring us up again from the depths of the earth.

~

71:21 Increase my honor, and comfort me again.
71:22 I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, my God. I sing praises to you with the lyre, Holy One of Israel.
71:23 My lips shall shout for joy! My soul, which you have redeemed, sings praises to you!
71:24 My tongue will also talk about your righteousness all day long, for they are disappointed, and they are confounded, who want to harm me.

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Romans 12 - Living Life - Part 10

Romans 12: Living Life

Study 10: Gift of Encouragement

Romans 12:8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging.

Now we come to perhaps one of the most amazing gifts – encouraging! Why is it amazing? Because of the impact it can have on the receivers of encouragement! This could mean anything from encouraging to exhorting to comforting to counselling to rebuking gently. The encourager is to build people up in their faith and life with words of warning, comforting words or a sign or gift of appreciation. The gift of encouraging can be done in the gifts so far in this lift: prophecy, preaching, serving, or teaching as well as the gift in this list to come: giving!

Encouragement can be done from the platform to many people at the same time. However more often than not, it is as one person interacts with another person, individual to individual. Encouragers urge people to respond rightly to God. Encouragers strengthen the weak and comfort those who are in sorrow. Paul himself had a great encourager on his ministry team – Barnabus (Acts 4:36; Acts 9:26ff)! If you are a counsellor in your church, you are exhibiting your gift of encouragement. Are you aware of that? WOW!

Oh how the church needs encouragers! A quiet encouraging word to that teacher or preacher you just heard in your church, or the music leaders – anybody! Your pastor or church leader would appreciate a kind word or a gift from you.

I can tell you from personal experience, that I get more verbal encouragement from those who are not Christian than I do from those who are self-professed Christians. But it should not be that way! Again, every Christian can encourage somebody else – even without the specific gift of encouragement. As we looked at in verse 5, as Christians, we belong to each other, so let each of us be practical in our encouragement of each other! Perhaps the next person you speak to will need a word of encouragement! What will you do? Encourage that person or simply ignore them? Who are your encouragers? Have you made sure they know how much you appreciate their encouragement of you?

Of course, God the Holy Spirit is also the great encourager – always urging us and encouraging us to live obedient lives worth of Jesus Christ whom we follow. Will you listen to His encouragement of you, as He urges you to go encourage somebody else? Or will you ignore His encouraging voice to do so?

Let each of us encourage at least one person a day.

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Psalm On Demand - Psalm 76

Psalm 76

For the Chief Musician. On stringed instruments. A Psalm by Asaph. A song.

76:1 In Judah, God is known. His name is great in Israel.

76:2 His tabernacle is also in Salem; His dwelling place in Zion.

76:3 There he broke the flaming arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the weapons of war.

Selah.

76:4 Glorious are you, and excellent, more than mountains of game.

76:5 Valiant men lie plundered, they have slept their last sleep. None of the men of war can lift their hands.

76:6 At your rebuke, God of Jacob, both chariot and horse are cast into a deep sleep.

76:7 You, even you, are to be feared. Who can stand in your sight when you are angry?

76:8 You pronounced judgment from heaven. The earth feared, and was silent,

76:9 when God arose to judgment, to save all the afflicted ones of the earth.

Selah.

76:10 Surely the wrath of man praises you. The survivors of your wrath are restrained.

76:11 Make vows to Yahweh your God, and fulfill them! Let all of his neighbors bring presents to him who is to be feared.

76:12 He will cut off the spirit of princes. He is feared by the kings of the earth.

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Romans 12 - Living Life - Part 09

Romans 12: Living Life

Study 09: Gift of Teaching

Romans 12:7b If you are a teacher, teach well.

How is your church doing at teaching the Gospel truths? How, if you are a teacher, going about it? Teaching is different from preaching. Are you aware of that? While preaching is expressing the mind of God to people, teaching is also training and taking a person or people on a journey from one point to another. That could be a teacher in Bible college, a Sunday School, a home group or other small group as well as one to one discipleship. Teaching is leading people into understanding God’s word.

Calvin describes a bible teacher somebody “who forms and builds the Church by the word of truth.” Does that signify your experience of teaching – by others you hear or even yourself?

Teaching is part of the Great Commission expressed by Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20. So everybody who is a Christian is at some point is to do some kind of teaching - as that is part of evangelism. Evangelism is for all Christians to do – of one kind or another.

Of course some preaching can also be teaching. Teaching is interpreting the Bible to make it understood to both the individual and a group of people. That is expository Bible teaching which is also preaching…

But just because somebody is a gifted teacher, or indeed also a preacher, we are to test the Bible for ourselves. Even if you think that Bible teacher is amazing, test what that person says. Analyse it for yourself and don’t be afraid to disagree with the teacher. Even the finest of Bible teachers would want you to be like that! If a teacher insists that they are right, and there is no discussion about it, then be very wary. In Romans 16:7, Paul writes this about teachers “I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.”

Conversely, how about next time going up to a teacher, talking to them and giving them some encouragement. But more about encouragement in our next study!

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Wednesday Wisdom 9 - Proverbs 9

Wednesday Wisdom

Proverbs 9

G’day! Welcome to Partakers and to Wednesday Wisdom, where we are listening to what the Bible has to say through the Wisdom literature of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. Come on in!

Today it is Proverbs 9. Download this episode using this link

1 Wisdom has built her house, she has cut out her seven pillars:
2 She has killed her beasts; she has mingled her wine; she has also furnished her table.
3 She has sent forth her maidens: she cries upon the highest places of the city,
4 Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wants understanding, she says to him,
5 Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.
6 Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.

7 He that reproves a scorner gets to himself shame: and he that rebukes a wicked man gets himself a blot.
8 Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate you: rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
11 For by me your days shall be multiplied, and the years of your life shall be increased.
12 If You be wise, You shall be wise for yourself: but if You scorn, You alone shall bear it.

13 A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knows nothing.
14 For she sits at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city,
15 To call passengers who go right on their ways:
16 Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that wants understanding, she says to him,
17 Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.
18 But he knows not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.

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