Partakers Christian Podcasts

Saturday Story - CS Lewis

Saturday Story

People meeting Jesus 

The story of CS Lewis...

Today, we hear the story of perhaps one of the foremost Christian thinkers of our age – CS Lewis. Let’s look together at how and why he started his own Christian journey and the relevancy of Jesus Christ to his life! It may not be what you have heard it said to be! Come and listen to his story of faith...

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So Great A Salvation Part 11

So Great A Salvation

 Part 11 - When Doubt Sets In

It is a very rare person indeed who has not suffered some form of doubt, and asked questions similar to those of Jeremiah in the passage of Lamentations I read earlier. By doubt, I do not mean as in doubting God’s very existence, but rather doubting some aspect of the Christian life such as assurance of salvation, any of the other of God’s promises or doubting an attribute of God such as His innate sovereignty or His infinite goodness.

When doubt rises in you concerning God’s assured promise of salvation of you that usually occurs after engaging in wilful sin or having lost a spiritual battle. Doubting God’s sovereignty will usually occur after experiencing a great personal tragedy or of reading about an international disaster. When this occurs, it is important to have faith. Have faith in your knowledge of Scripture, and trust in its authority as God’s Word. When we sin, not only do we forget who we are as His children, but we also doubt what God has said is true in the Bible. The Christian Disciple learns to believe and trust God regardless of circumstances however divergent the experience is or was.

The originator of a lot of doubt in the life of a Christian Disciple is Satan, just as it was for Adam in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1). Remember that Satan roams the earth like a devouring lion in order to stop Christian Disciples trusting in God and their testimony about God’s goodness (1 Peter 5:8).

Another source of doubt is the world we live in, with its own moral codes and perceived wisdom contrary to that of God expressed in the Bible. Whereas the Christian Disciple gains wisdom from God through having the indwelling Holy Spirit and reading the Bible, the world often has wisdom that is contrary. One only has to look at the perceived wisdom of atheistic scientific materialism countering the Christian arguments.

One final source of doubt, is the spiritual immaturity of the Christian Disciple. Doubting whether prayer works is often down to being double minded (James 1:8). Elsewhere Paul writes that doubt arises because of not knowing the basic doctrines of God (Ephesians 4:14). This source of doubt is only defeated through experience and having a maturing, disciplined life of obedience through prayer, studying the Bible and allowing the Holy Spirit to transform. In doing these things, the relationship between God and a Christian Disciple is nurtured and growing.

Next Podcast, we conclude this series, with the topic of overcoming doubt in the life of the Christian Disciple

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So Great A Salvation Part 10

So Great A Salvation

Part 10 - Dealing with Doubts

When you became a Christian, you started an exciting journey in the Christian life. Success in the Christian life is not an accident, but rather it is a direct result of living in harmony with the basic principles of life set forth in the Bible. The Christian life is not a matter of expecting spiritual maturity to occur overnight. The Bible lays down standards and principles of living which we need to follow with God’s strength, if we are to continue living at peace with God, our fellow men, and ourselves. We need to know what God expects of us and what guidelines He has given us to achieve this quality of life. As we apply the principles and guidelines of the Bible to our lives, we are transformed into the likeness of Christ – which is the journey we are on (Romans 8:28-29; 2 Corinthians 3:18).

Jesus said ‘I have come to bring them life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10). This is achieved as we allow Jesus Christ to live this life through us so that we start to think and respond like He does, to the people and circumstances around us. We need to learn how to see circumstances and people from God’s perspective, rather than reacting on the basis of feelings. When we respond to circumstances on the basis of our feelings that is when conflict, stress, tension and depression enter. When we respond to circumstances by looking from God’s perspective, it builds and shows a transformed character as we become more like Jesus.

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Psalm on Demand - Psalm 45

Psalm 45

45:1 My heart overflows with a noble theme. I recite my verses for the king. My tongue is like the pen of a skillful writer.

45:2 You are the most excellent of the sons of men. Grace has anointed your lips, therefore God has blessed you forever.

45:3 Strap your sword on your thigh, mighty one: your splendor and your majesty.

45:4 In your majesty ride on victoriously on behalf of truth, humility, and righteousness. Let your right hand display awesome deeds.

45:5 Your arrows are sharp. The nations fall under you, with arrows in the heart of the king’s enemies.

45:6 Your throne, God, is forever and ever. A scepter of equity is the scepter of your kingdom.

45:7 You have loved righteousness, and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows.

45:8 All your garments smell like myrrh, aloes, and cassia. Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made you glad.

45:9 Kings’ daughters are among your honorable women. At your right hand the queen stands in gold of Ophir.

45:10 Listen, daughter, consider, and turn your ear. Forget your own people, and also your father’s house.

45:11 So the king will desire your beauty, honor him, for he is your lord.

45:12 The daughter of Tyre comes with a gift. The rich among the people entreat your favor.

45:13 The princess inside is all glorious. Her clothing is interwoven with gold.

45:14 She shall be led to the king in embroidered work. The virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to you.

45:15 With gladness and rejoicing they shall be led. They shall enter into the king’s palace.

45:16 Your sons will take the place of your fathers. You shall make them princes in all the earth.

45:17 I will make your name to be remembered in all generations. Therefore the peoples shall give you thanks forever and ever.

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So Great A Salvation Part 9

So Great A Salvation

 Part 9 - Godly Discipline

Christians are sometimes entangled by sin (Hebrews 12:1). God disciplines His children. “It is painful.” (Hebrews 12:11) Therefore if we are Christians, and we sin (remaining unrepentant and making a habit of it), God will discipline us because we are His children (Hebrews 12:10). If we sin and are not disciplined, we are not His children (Hebrews 12:8).

The Practice of Sin - Habitual Sin - The Christian cannot continue to sin habitually, willingly maintaining a sinful practice or attitude. That is why we are warned against doing so and thus falling away.
Note carefully the following two truths:

• We share in Christ if we hold firmly to the end. (Hebrews 3:13-14)
• It is possible to experience much of what God offers but fundamentally reject it and by so doing place ourselves outside and beyond the grace of God (Hebrews 6:4-6)

Living as a Christian Disciple is to be a life that brings glory to Jesus Christ. Part of that is a life of repentance, faith, perseverance and discipline. In doing these four things, the Christian Disciple inevitably carries their own cross daily, so that Jesus the Master is honoured and glorified.

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So Great A Salvation Part 8

So Great A Salvation

 
Part 8 - Perseverance

Perseverance is the continuous operation of the Holy Spirit in the believer, by which the work of divine grace that is begun in the heart is continued and brought to completion. We read that:

• My sheep listen to my voice; I know them … and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand… no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. They will never perish; no-one can snatch them out of my hand (John 10:27-29)
• “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life (John 5:24)
• He who began a good work in you, will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus(Philippians 1:6)
• Shielded by God’s power. (1 Peter 1:5)
• Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39)
• The Lord knows those who are His (2 Timothy 2:19)
• That you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:12-13)

In summary then: eternal life never depends on our feeble grip on Christ, but rather on His firm grip on us.

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So Great A Salvation Part 7

So Great A Salvation

Part 7 – Faith

Faith is confidence in the faithfulness of God which leads to reliance and trust in God and obedience to Him (Hebrews 11:6). In salvation, faith is a voluntary change of mind and heart in the sinner in which the person turns to God, accepting and relying on His offer of salvation through Jesus Christ.

FAITH = BELIEF + TRUST + ACTION.

Faith does not operate in a vacuum. It must affect our:

• Mind – by recognition of our need of salvation. Acknowledging Christ’s death on our behalf and our need of forgiveness.
• Emotional (Heart) – by giving personal assent to the gospel - What must I do to be saved? Agree to make salvation a part of life.
• Will – by a conscious turning of our inner affections and motivations to personal trust.

Another way of putting it is that we should:

• Surrender the whole of our life to the Lordship of Christ (John 8:12; Romans 10:9)
• Receive and appropriate Jesus into the life. (John 1:12; Revelation 3:20)
• Accept His death on our behalf, and the forgiveness He offers (1 John 1:7,9).
  
  
  Next in this series, we look at the role of perseverance in the life of the Christian Disciple

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So Great A Salvation Part 6

So Great A Salvation

Part 6 – Repentance

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose.” Philippians 2:12-13

This “working hard to show the results of your salvation” involves four things: Repentance, Faith, Perseverance and Discipline.

Repentance is a voluntary change in mind, in which the person turns from a life of sin to living a life of righteousness. This is done in three spheres:

• Mind (Intellect) - recognition of personal sinfulness and guilt before God (Psalm 51:3; Romans 3:20)
• Emotional (Heart) - genuine sorrow for sin - Godly sorrow... leads to repentance (2 Corinthians 7:8-10)
• Will - decision to turn from sin, self-pleasing and self-centredness to God.

The importance of repentance was central to the teaching of:

• Jesus (Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:15);
• John the Baptist (Matthew 3:1-2)
• Apostles (Acts 2:38; 20:21).
  
  

Repentance was commanded by God (Acts 17:30). It was God’s will that all people should repent (2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:4)
In the next podcast, we look at the role of faith in the life of the Christian Disciple

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So Great A Salvation Part 5

So Great A Salvation

 Part 5 – The Who, What, Why of Salvation

“9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.”
Romans 10:9-10 New Living Translation

Who decides who is saved has been a question asked for centuries!! There are two extremist views in regard to salvation – there is “hyper-Calvinism” that says God has decided all things and there is nothing we can do about it. Then there is the opposite end, “universalism”, which says that God will grant salvation to all, regardless of creed, race or religion.

However, there is a third way. But we need to see these two “isms” in the balance of Scripture. Firstly, God does choose individuals to fulfil His purposes (Romans 9) and He chooses those who are, or will be, saved (John 15:16). These chosen ones are called the elect. However, it is also His will that all people should be saved (1 Timothy 2:3-4) and that nobody should perish (2 Peter 3:9).

So in reading those two statements, it is imperative that we accept both these Scriptural statements as equally and absolutely true. When we use words about God with a time element such as 'chose', 'elect', we need to use these considering God's infinite time framework (timelessness), and not in our human finite time framework. So God offers salvation to all, and leaves the responsibility to take up the offer with humans.

Very often Christians will realise that although they thought at the time, they were making their own free decision to follow Christ, looking back they can see how God led them to that point. We choose; he elects. That is a puzzle we will never understand the answer to but that is the way that it is.

As a Christian Disciple you have taken up God’s offer of salvation! But now what? What happens after the decision to become a Christian has been made? The answer to that, in the next podcast!

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So Great A Salvation Part 4

So Great A Salvation

 
Part 4 – The Christian is to Walk In The Spirit

 

Today we are looking at the process by which the Christian is declared clean, righteousified and sanctified. Or you may know it as, walking in the Spirit
The Process by which this is achieved, is by the Christian Disciple devoting him or herself to righteousness (Romans 6:19,22) with a desire and choosing to be holy, submitted and consecrated to God. Christian Disciples are to put off the old nature - crucify the passions and desires (Ephesians 4:22; Galatians 5:24; Colossians 3:5) and put on the new nature created to be like God (Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:12-14).

This is done by a work of God (1 Thessalonians. 5:23, Philippians 2:13) for the Christian is indwelt by God the Holy Spirit from the moment of conversion, and therefore a Christian Disciple is to ‘walk by the Spirit’ and ‘be led by the Spirit’ (Galatians 5:16,18).
This is done by:

• Desiring holiness. Feed the new nature with God’s Word in order to renew our mind.
• Communicating with God. Talk to Him!! By doing this sin will be starved.
• Confessing known sin immediately, consciously allowing Christ total control in all circumstances

Remember the Holy Spirit lives within the Christian Disciple and empowers you and I - we can overcome sin and temptation by relying on His power to overcome rather than relying on your own strength. But we do have to accede control to Him. That of course, can be very difficult to do.

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