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Episodes
Tuesday Mar 07, 2023
Tuesday Mar 07, 2023
Psalm 2
1 Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth take a stand, and the rulers take counsel together,
against Yahweh, and against his Anointed, saying,
3 “Let’s break their bonds apart, and cast their cords from us.”
4 He who sits in the heavens will laugh.
The Lord will have them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his anger, and terrify them in his wrath:
6 “Yet I have set my King on my holy hill of Zion.”
7 I will tell of the decree. Yahweh said to me,
“You are my son. Today I have become your father.
8 Ask of me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance,
the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron.
You shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
10 Now therefore be wise, you kings.
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve Yahweh with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
12 Give sincere homage to the Son, lest he be angry,
and you perish in the way, for his wrath will soon be kindled.
Blessed are all those who take refuge in him.
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Monday Mar 06, 2023
Monday Mar 06, 2023
Psalm 69
1 Save me, O God!
For the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in deep mire,
Where there is no standing;
I have come into deep waters,
Where the floods overflow me.
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3 I am weary with my crying;
My throat is dry;
My eyes fail while I wait for my God.
4 Those who hate me without a cause
Are more than the hairs of my head;
They are mighty who would destroy me,
Being my enemies wrongfully;
Though I have stolen nothing,
I still must restore it.
5 O God, You know my foolishness;
And my sins are not hidden from You.
Read the rest of this entry »Saturday Mar 04, 2023
Saturday Mar 04, 2023
Psalm 41
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David.
1 Blessed is he who considers the poor.
Yahweh will deliver him in the day of evil.
2 Yahweh will preserve him, and keep him alive.
He shall be blessed on the earth,
and he will not surrender him to the will of his enemies.
3 Yahweh will sustain him on his sickbed,
and restore him from his bed of illness.
4 I said, "Yahweh, have mercy on me!
Heal me, for I have sinned against you."
5 My enemies speak evil against me:
"When will he die, and his name perish?"
6 If he comes to see me, he speaks falsehood.
His heart gathers iniquity to itself.
When he goes abroad, he tells it.
7 All who hate me whisper together against me.
They imagine the worst for me.
8 "An evil disease," they say, "has afflicted him.
Now that he lies he shall rise up no more."
9 Yes, my own familiar friend, in whom I trusted,
who ate bread with me,
has lifted up his heel against me.
10 But you, Yahweh, have mercy on me,
and raise me up, that I may repay them.
11 By this I know that you delight in me,
because my enemy doesn't triumph over me.
12 As for me, you uphold me in my integrity,
and set me in your presence forever.
13 Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel,
from everlasting and to everlasting!
Amen and amen.
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Friday Mar 03, 2023
Friday Mar 03, 2023
Psalm 18
For the Chief Musician. By David the servant of Yahweh, who spoke to Yahweh the words of this song in the day that Yahweh delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said,
- 18:1 I love you, Yahweh, my strength.
- 18:2 Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer;
- my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;
- my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
- 18:3 I call on Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised;
- and I am saved from my enemies.
- 18:4 The cords of death surrounded me.
- The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
- 18:5 The cords of Sheol were around me.
- The snares of death came on me.
- 18:6 In my distress I called on Yahweh,
- and cried to my God.
- He heard my voice out of his temple.
- My cry before him came into his ears.
- 18:7 Then the earth shook and trembled.
- The foundations also of the mountains quaked and were shaken,
- because he was angry.
- 18:8 Smoke went out of his nostrils.
- Consuming fire came out of his mouth.
- Coals were kindled by it.
- 18:9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down.
- Thick darkness was under his feet.
- 18:10 He rode on a cherub, and flew.
- Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind.
- 18:11 He made darkness his hiding place, his pavilion around him,
- darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
- 18:12 At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed,
- hailstones and coals of fire.
- 18:13 Yahweh also thundered in the sky.
- The Most High uttered his voice:
- hailstones and coals of fire.
- 18:14 He sent out his arrows, and scattered them;
- Yes, great lightning bolts, and routed them.
- 18:15 Then the channels of waters appeared.
- The foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, Yahweh,
- at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
- 18:16 He sent from on high.
- He took me.
- He drew me out of many waters.
- 18:17 He delivered me from my strong enemy,
- from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.
- 18:18 They came on me in the day of my calamity,
- but Yahweh was my support.
- 18:19 He brought me forth also into a large place.
- He delivered me, because he delighted in me.
- 18:20 Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness.
- According to the cleanness of my hands has he recompensed me.
- 18:21 For I have kept the ways of Yahweh,
- and have not wickedly departed from my God.
- 18:22 For all his ordinances were before me.
- I didn’t put away his statutes from me.
- 18:23 I was also blameless with him.
- I kept myself from my iniquity.
- 18:24 Therefore Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
- according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
- 18:25 With the merciful you will show yourself merciful.
- With the perfect man, you will show yourself perfect.
- 18:26 With the pure, you will show yourself pure.
- With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd.
- 18:27 For you will save the afflicted people,
- but the haughty eyes you will bring down.
- 18:28 For you will light my lamp, Yahweh.
- My God will light up my darkness.
- 18:29 For by you, I advance through a troop.
- By my God, I leap over a wall.
- 18:30 As for God, his way is perfect.
- The word of Yahweh is tried.
- He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.
- 18:31 For who is God, except Yahweh?
- Who is a rock, besides our God,
- 18:32 the God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect?
- 18:33 He makes my feet like deer’s feet,
- and sets me on my high places.
- 18:34 He teaches my hands to war,
- so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.
- 18:35 You have also given me the shield of your salvation.
- Your right hand sustains me.
- Your gentleness has made me great.
- 18:36 You have enlarged my steps under me,
- My feet have not slipped.
- 18:37 I will pursue my enemies, and overtake them.
- Neither will I turn again until they are consumed.
- 18:38 I will strike them through, so that they will not be able to rise.
- They shall fall under my feet.
- 18:39 For you have armed me with strength to the battle.
- You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
- 18:40 You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me,
- that I might cut off those who hate me.
- 18:41 They cried, but there was none to save;
- even to Yahweh, but he didn’t answer them.
- 18:42 Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind.
- I cast them out as the mire of the streets.
- 18:43 You have delivered me from the strivings of the people.
- You have made me the head of the nations.
- A people whom I have not known shall serve me.
- 18:44 As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me.
- The foreigners shall submit themselves to me.
- 18:45 The foreigners shall fade away,
- and shall come trembling out of their close places.
- 18:46 Yahweh lives; and blessed be my rock.
- Exalted be the God of my salvation,
- 18:47 even the God who executes vengeance for me,
- and subdues peoples under me.
- 18:48 He rescues me from my enemies.
- Yes, you lift me up above those who rise up against me.
- You deliver me from the violent man.
- 18:49 Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations,
- and will sing praises to your name.
- 18:50 He gives great deliverance to his king,
- and shows loving kindness to his anointed,
- to David and to his seed, forevermore.
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d~ dddd
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Tuesday Oct 04, 2022
Tuesday Oct 04, 2022
Glimpses 56 -
Donna from Detroit, Michigan
This is the story of Donna, from Detroit sharing about her encounter with Jesus! Come and hear!
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Saturday May 21, 2022
Saturday May 21, 2022
Testimony - Sharon
The story of Sharon, from China, who converted to Christianity from Daoism/Buddhism. Please do listen to the mp3 online or takeway as a download... If you find this story encouraging, please do leave a comment... Thank you...
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Tuesday Feb 15, 2022
Tuesday Feb 15, 2022
Testimony - Adele
Christian testimony
The story of Adele, telling her story of how God rescued her from joining the Jehovah Witnesses cult. Thanks be to God!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHpm39YAKh0]
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Wednesday May 19, 2021
Wednesday May 19, 2021
G'day! Welcome to Partakers! Today we have a short midweek worship session together! Come on in!
- Opening Prayer
- Reading: Proverbs 3:5-7
- Song
- Bible Thought
- Closing Prayer
(All songs and music are in the Public Domain available here).
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Sunday May 02, 2021
Sunday May 02, 2021
Exploring Islam
12. The Jesus of Islam
Part 3 – The Cross
Qur’an 4:157 – ‘"Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of Allah." And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them.’
This is a fascinating verse which many Muslims are aware of given the prominence of Jesus in discussions with Christians. It is reliant upon the understanding that Allah respects his chosen prophets to such a degree that a humiliating death by crucifixion would not be permitted. Nothing more is said regarding this matter in the Qur’an and it begs the question from a non-Muslim perspective of proof. Outside of this verse there seems to be no other supporting evidence that this was the case. And I guess this is to be expected as the concept itself suggests that all present at the crucifixion and presumably all the subsequent historians were hoodwinked into believing the opposite.
Admittedly, Christianity faces a similar but I think less taxing burden of proof in their defence of a risen Jesus from the tomb on Easter morning. So instead of dying on the cross, the Islamic Jesus was taken up into heaven during this mystical switch and remains there to this day.
Again, this is a unique aspect of Jesus within Islam which no other prophet including Muhammad can claim. Jesus has a further role to play in the grand scheme of history according to Islam. At the end of time before judgement day comes, Jesus will return to the earth still as a physical man and successfully lead all those chosen by Allah into Islam. The Qur’an does not speak much of this aspect leaving Muslims to rely strongly on the traditions contained in the Hadith.
Unlike in Christianity who affirms Jesus’ role in judgement, the Islamic Jesus finally dies before this happens and leaves Allah to judge the world. So this marks the conclusion of the Exploring Islam series. I have enjoyed preparing and writing these podcasts and I hope that you have benefited from them. Remember my original goal was to dispel some of the misunderstandings of Islam which are so prevalent in Western societies and can be the source of much tension with our Muslim neighbours.
Even though there are significant differences between Islam and Christianity I hope I have equally showed that there are similarities even bridges for discussion. I have found the best way to facilitate this is from the attitude of respect and friendship, things which Muslims themselves value highly.
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Saturday May 01, 2021
Saturday May 01, 2021
Exploring Islam
11. The Jesus of Islam
Part 2 - Jesus remains a man not a god
Despite Jesus’ unusual birth to a virgin Islam still considers him to be simply a man chosen by Allah to be a prophet. He is viewed as a created being from the dust just as Adam was (Qur’an 3:59). To consider Jesus as anything more than his humanity would be to ascribe to him some status of divinity, and as we have seen previously this is a serious sin.
Allah reveals himself through the Qur’an as being one, and in being the only one. He is if you like singular in construction and the only one of his kind. During Muhammad’s life the early Church was spreading rapidly throughout the world and he would have heard of their radical concept of a Trinitarian God – that is a God which is three in one.
Such a paradox, which is accepted in Christianity through faith and the testimony of the Bible, seemed to simply be a wilful act to distort the truth about Allah and elevate a man into a deity. If you remember from one of the first podcasts in this series at the birth of Islam Muhammad was reacting against an Arab people who were polytheists, that is belief in and the worship of many different gods and spirits. Muhammad placed the Christian view of Jesus into this category.
The Qur’an summarises all of this in the following: Qur’an 4:171 – ‘O People of the Scripture! Do not exaggerate in your religion nor utter anything concerning Allah save the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a messenger of Allah, and His word which He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers, and say not "Three" - Cease! (It is) better for you! - Allah is only One God. Far is it removed from His Transcendent Majesty that He should have a son.’
Interestingly, there are two aspects regarding the Islamic view of Jesus which are not fully explained. In the previous verse you may noticed that Jesus is referred to as a ‘word’ and a ‘spirit’ from Allah. What exactly does this mean? The Qur’an does not make any further reference to it and they are unique to him.
From a Christian perspective Jesus being described as a ‘word’ is familiar as it is found in the opening verses of John’s Gospel to denote his divinity. Alongside this, the Qur’an also makes the unexpected claim that Jesus was holy, faultless, pure, or righteous depending on your translation from the Arabic in Qur’an 19:19.
These characteristics are commonly associated with divinity outside of Islam and offer a stark contrast to Muhammad who required forgiveness for his sins (Qur’an 48:2). Many Muslims are not aware of this last verse and can take offense at the suggestion that their greatest prophet is in fact sinful, so refer to it with care and respect.
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This now is available to buy as a book on Amazon :
UK/Europe - £3 - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Exploring-Islam-exploring-diversity-Christian/dp/1507774567/
USA - $7 - http://www.amazon.com/Exploring-Islam-exploring-diversity-Christian/dp/1507774567/
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