Partakers Christian Podcasts

Bible Thought - Truth - WOW Word 60

WOW Word - Truth

~Today Alphy the WOWChurch Cat shares about

the WOW Word - Truth!

 

Truth! What is truth? Today we hear consistently that there are no absolute truths anymore! We hear all the time that for twenty first century people “What is true for me may not be true to you! What is true for you may not be true for me?”

So what is truth? Truth in the Old Testament was used in two ways…. Firstly, facts may be either true or false – an intellectual truth. An example would be that Moses existed as a person. That is a true fact. Or it could used to define a characteristic of a reliable person, such as Joseph’s brothers in Genesis 42:16.

These are also used to describe God as a true God, rather than the pagan gods belonging to the nations around Israel. Truth, or being true, is described as a characteristic of Yahweh, the God of Israel. He is consistently true and therefore trustworthy in all His ways. His loving care is trustworthy and seen in His dealings with Israel.

In the New Testament, Christianity, is seen as Truth (Galatians 2:5; Ephesians 1:13)! Indeed Jesus said that He was the only truth, the only life and the only way to God. Jesus is the true bread and the true vine! Furthermore, truth is God’s word to be obeyed actively and not dismissed passively.

What role does active truth and being actively true play in the life of a Christian? Truth develops character, Peter writes (2 Peter 1:3-9). The strongest Christians are those with a good growing knowledge of biblical truth. Since understanding the Bible increases your knowledge of God, it also increases the possibilities for love, growth and service. "Ignorance is the mother of superstition, not of devotion". "Truth combats error".

satan and the world, do and will, distort scripture to put people off the truth. Therefore, you need to get to know what the Bible does say, so that you will not be led into error by others who would want to deceive you. As John writes “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.” (1 John 4:1-3)

However, for truth to be effective, it needs to be an animated truth. This is done by being a doer of the Bible and not merely a passive hearer. Your life as a Christian must be a balance of love and truth. Both coexist with each other and through your knowledge, service and faith in Almighty God, you will continually grow and be strengthened.

~

Right mouse click or tap here to download this as a mp3 file

Bible Reading - Psalm 128

Psalm 128

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

¹ How joyful are those who fear the Lord-

all who follow his ways!

² You will enjoy the fruit of your labor.

How joyful and prosperous you will be!

³ Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine,

flourishing within your home.

Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees

as they sit around your table.

⁴ That is the Lord's blessing

for those who fear him.

⁵ May the Lord continually bless you from Zion.

May you see Jerusalem prosper as long as you live.

⁶ May you live to enjoy your grandchildren.

May Israel have peace!

Right mouse click or tap here to save/download this Psalm as a MP3 file

Developing Intimacy With God - 12. Jesus’ Teaching About Prayer Part 2

Developing Intimacy With God

12. Jesus’ Teaching About Prayer (Part 2)

“9 ‘This, then, is how you should pray:
‘“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.”
Amen.” (Matthew 6:9-13)

Last week in our Saturday series, we started looking at Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer in what we call the Lord’s Prayer and we continue that this week.

Forgiveness: Forgiveness, of course, is a major part of the Christian faith and Christianity. Both in the way that God forgives me when I come to Him in penitence and repentance, but also in the way that I forgive others and themselves! Asking for forgiveness, particularly from other people, can be one of the hardest things I need to do. When those times come upon me, I need to stop and consider Jesus Christ and the enormity of His forgiveness. If He forgave me for all I have done wrong, then I also should forgive others, regardless of how difficult that might be to do. Again, is that your experience? Forgiveness deals with my emotional responses toward an offender. Forgiveness enables me to have the same openness toward the person after they offend me, as before. When I forgive the offender, the hurt and the wound start to diminish. This is helped when I realise Jesus Christ understands all of this. I can use these experiences for my eternal advantage. Is that your experience of forgiveness – both in giving and receiving?

Temptation: It’s an undeniable and inevitable fact of the Christian Disciple’s life! It is certainly true of my own life. But it is good to know that temptations are common experiences for all Christian Disciples, and not just for me as an individual. No matter what I may think at the time! An important thing to note and remember, is that temptation itself is not sin! Rather it is the giving into temptation that causes me to sin. How easily it is for me to forget that. One of the keys to living a life right with God and not sinning is by dealing with temptation the very moment it confronts us. As a Christian Disciple, I face temptation from three different angles: the world, my old nature and satan. It is not just out and out temptation that Jesus means here, but also the tests and trials of life. We are to overcome both temptations and trials, in order that our character may, through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, become more like that of Jesus, our Master.

Deliver: What I am delivered from, is better translated I think, as “evil one” rather than “evil”. satan tempts you and I for being a Christian Disciple. It is he who suggests to me that I should not forgive others and to trust in myself for my own needs. It is he who does not want God to be my number one priority or for God’s will to be done on earth as in heaven. It is satan who does not want God’s kingdom to be spread. Neither does satan want Jesus Christ to return in glory. Therefore, as a Christian Disciple, I am to pray for these things. I need to rely and trust in God for deliverance from satan, who wants to snatch away the Christian Disciples inner joy and dependence on God.

Your Power: How can God deliver me from temptation, trials and satan? He can, because He is always all–powerful and eternally almighty. Christian Disciples are to rely on God’s strength to overcome temptation, trials and satan, and not to rely on their own strength. By relying on our own strength, failure is inevitable, but by trusting in God and His power and strength, overcoming temptation, trials and satan is assured. How easy it is to forget such fundamentals of Christian living!

Your Glory: What is the aim of being a Christian Disciple, a follower of Jesus Christ? It is for me to give all glory to God regardless of what personal achievements I have gained. His glory is to be my supreme concern, so that God is number one in all aspects of my life as a Christian Disciple. Ergo, I am to pray that His will is done in me, in other Christian Disciples and in the world. I am to pray that His kingdom continues to grow until Jesus Christ returns in majesty and glory.

Amen: May it be so, Lord, as I ask in faith of you.


That is all for today! Our the book this series is based on “Developing Intimacy with God” It can be found at or www.pulptheology.com which will take you to our Amazon page.


Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file

Bible Reading - Psalm 12

Psalm 12

For the Chief Musician; upon an eight-stringed lyre. A Psalm of David.

12:1 Help, Yahweh; for the godly man ceases.

For the faithful fail from among the children of men.

12:2 Everyone lies to his neighbor.

They speak with flattering lips, and with a double heart.

12:3 May Yahweh cut off all flattering lips,

and the tongue that boasts,

12:4 who have said, “With our tongue we will prevail.

Our lips are our own. Who is lord over us?”

12:5 “Because of the oppression of the weak and because of the groaning of the needy,

I will now arise,” says Yahweh;

“I will set him in safety from those who malign him.”

12:6 The words of Yahweh are flawless words,

as silver refined in a clay furnace, purified seven times.

12:7 You will keep them, Yahweh.

You will preserve them from this generation forever.

12:8 The wicked walk on every side,

when what is vile is exalted among the sons of men.

Right mouse click or tap here to save this Podcast as a MP3.

Developing Intimacy With God - 11. Jesus’ Teaching About Prayer Part 1

Developing Intimacy With God

11. Jesus’ Teaching About Prayer (Part 1)

“9 ‘This, then, is how you should pray:
‘“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.”
Amen.” (Matthew 6:9-13)

This is, quite possibly, the prayer that is most frequently used, and repeated, by those professing to be Christians, as well as those who are not. It is often called the “Lord’s Prayer”. This is not, however, because Jesus would have prayed it. As He was without sin, He would have had no need to have asked God for forgiveness of sin. It is the Lord’s Prayer, because it was given by Jesus, to serve as a model for His Disciples to know what prayer is to be like, hence Jesus saying, “How You should pray” (Matthew 6:9). Let’s look at it together now, albeit briefly, over the next 2 studies.

Father: Calling God, “Father”, implies that God is in a personal relationship with me, as a Christian Disciple. I am to think of God as a loving and generous Father. God is not impersonal, but wants to be approached intimately as a child approaches its daddy. By saying “our Father”, the individual Christian disciple, I should realize that I am not alone, but rather, I am part of a wider church family.

Holy: When we call God, ‘holy’, it is symbolic of what is to be our intimate adoration of Him. When I call out and say that God is ‘holy’, it affirms that I am to place Him and His purposes at the very top of my list. That is, God is to be number one priority in all aspects of my life and this world. His glory, His kingdom and His will are to be my supreme concern high above my own needs. WOW!

Kingdom: God is a King and He rules! Jesus has inaugurated the Kingdom of God. He is its King. The Kingdom is not yet complete so I, as a Christian Disciple, as somebody who claims to follow Jesus, must pray that His Kingdom will become more and more complete. This is where I pray that the Gospel will spread far and wide, and that God’s Kingdom will continue to grow until Jesus Christ returns in glory, to rule with majesty and honour.

Will: As God is holy and a king, His Will is already being done in heaven. I am to pray that life here on earth will approximate to life in heaven as the Kingdom grows! As a Christian Disciple, I am to be wanting to place God as number one priority in all facets of life and to see God’s kingdom spread, and that I will also pray that God’s Will be top priority as well! These are, I think, the three priorities for a Christian Disciple, such as I am.

• That God will be number one
• That His Kingdom will spread
• That His will be done on earth

Give Us: This signifies that I, as a Christian Disciple need to rely on and trust in God for all things that are necessary for life to continue. So often, particularly in the Western world, we rely on our own finance and goods, to supply our needs and therefore seemingly forget that God has provided for our needs that way. As a Christian Disciple, I am to be thankful for all the good gifts that God my Father has supplied to me. Often, without my needing to ask Him! That is certainly my own experience in the 35 years that I have been a follower of Jesus. Could it also be said, that this is also your experience of God supplying your needs? 

Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file

~

Developing Intimacy With God - 10. The Function of Prayer

Developing Intimacy With God

10. The Function of Prayer

The function of prayer, which is the act of communicating and conversing with God, reveals a constant hunger for God’s help. An inner yearning, just as a child yearns for its parent. It is consolidating my desire towards the ultimate goal, of eternal life, joy, worship and knowledge of God – and of being fully known by God. It is also through the Bible that my desire to know God and be known by God, evolves and develops. That is why prayer and Bible reading go hand in hand. Prayer emits my words and thoughts to the God I seek to know, in response to His reaching out to me.

Through prayer, God can comprehend the Christian Disciple, regardless of language, grammar or oratory skill, if the Christian Disciple approaches with a correct attitude. Words, however, are not just to be a mental action but also an emotive act, conveying emotions and feeling. Prayer is a way for me to convey my deep emotions, feelings and expressions to God, regardless of my language skills, or lack thereof. The words spoken in prayer portray my innermost feelings and desires to Him.

This is because God is alive, and what is more, He is personal. He values language and expects His people to talk to Him. If for some reason, I am unable to convey my words in prayer, then Romans 8:26, intimates that the Holy Spirit intercedes for me! WOW! Remember, as a Christian Disciple, the Holy Spirit lives within you and I, seals us as God’s children, unites us as family and He is the Great Comforter and Encourager. How easy it is for me to forget this fact of spiritual life. Prayer epitomises the Father–child relationship, symbolized in my relationship with God. It further symbolizes the freedom and peace in prayer, advocated by Jesus to communicate His deepest desires, as in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9–13) and as we read in John 17. Prayer is not just me talking to God, but also being silent, to allow God to talk to me.

Now a question we all ask at some time or another. I know I have regularly. We ask it, either consciously or even subconsciously: Does God answer all prayers?
Firstly, the answer I expect, may not be the answer I get! Is that your experience of prayer? I know that it is often my experience! So often I pray, expecting one result and I end up getting another completely unexpected result. I then often think that God hasn’t answered my prayer! Sometimes the answer He gives, is ‘Yes’. At other times, it is ‘No’ or ‘Not yet. Wait.’ When I recall that God works outside of my restrictions of time and space, it is a lesson for me to not only learn, but also to remember. A lesson which says that I am to trust His judgement and wisdom. After all, He is God and I am not. I am to acknowledge that He is the Master and I am His servant. Alas, sometimes when I pray, I like to think I am the Master and He is my servant. Is that also your experience?

Why are some prayers unanswered? There are various reasons, I think, that prayers aren’t seemingly answered. It may well be due to things like:

• unconfessed sin (Psalm 66:18)
• disobedience (Proverbs 28:9)
• pride (Luke 18:11–14)
• doubt (James 1:5–7)
• selfishness (James 4:3)
• others not responding to God’s call upon them to be the answer to the prayer
• no reason, that for now that can possibly be conceived, seen or understand.
  
  God knows best and I am to acquiesce to His love and His knowledge – despite my tears and tantrums towards Him. He is the Master and I am to be His servant. He is willing to hear my voice. He wants to hear my voice. He wants to hear of my love for Him. I am in a relationship with God, because of God, and I desire to show my love of God and tell Him that I love Him. His desire is to have me serve Him and for Him to lavish His love upon me, in all manner of ways and in all circumstances of life. Is this your experience of God and your life with Him?

Next week we start to look at Jesus’ teaching on prayer as part of our Developing Intimacy With God.

Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file

 

Bible Reading - Psalm 145

Psalm 145

A psalm of praise of David.

¹ I will exalt you, my God and King,and praise your name forever and ever.
² I will praise you every day;yes, I will praise you forever.
³ Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!No one can measure his greatness.
⁴ Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts;let them proclaim your power.
⁵ I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendour and your wonderful miracles.
⁶ Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue;I will proclaim your greatness.
⁷ Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness;they will sing with joy about your righteousness.
⁸ The Lord is merciful and compassionate,slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
⁹ The Lord is good to everyone.He showers compassion on all his creation.
¹⁰ All of your works will thank you, Lord,and your faithful followers will praise you.
¹¹ They will speak of the glory of your kingdom;they will give examples of your power.
¹² They will tell about your mighty deeds and about the majesty and glory of your reign.
¹³ For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.You rule throughout all generations.The Lord always keeps his promises;he is gracious in all he does.
¹⁴ The Lord helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads.
¹⁵ The eyes of all look to you in hope;you give them their food as they need it.
¹⁶ When you open your hand,you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.
¹⁷ The Lord is righteous in everything he does;he is filled with kindness.
¹⁸ The Lord is close to all who call on him,yes, to all who call on him in truth.
¹⁹ He grants the desires of those who fear him;he hears their cries for help and rescues them.
²⁰ The Lord protects all those who love him,but he destroys the wicked.
²¹ I will praise the Lord,and may everyone on earth bless his holy name forever and ever.

Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file

Developing Intimacy With God - 9. Prayer - Some thoughts

Developing Intimacy With God

9. Prayer - Some Thoughts

As Christian Disciples, followers of Jesus Christ, we are engaged in spiritual warfare. That can easily be seen in the prayer Jesus taught His disciples, what we call the “Lord’s Prayer”, which we look at together later in this series. If you and I are engaged in spiritual warfare, that means we are to have weapons. Prayer, along with studying and reading the Bible, are our weapons of spiritual warfare!

Prayer is at the centre in the relationship between God and the Christian Disciple, consequently building friendship and intimacy between God and ourselves. Prayer is to be the major action of fellowship between God and humans – of you and I communicating with God, both in talking and listening (Genesis 18:33) – as individuals and with other people. Not just as certain times of the day but also throughout the day – constant communication and not just for 30 minutes in the morning.
Prayer is also a way of “letting God in” to the life of the Christian Disciple, of enjoying the company of God, relating all aspects of life to Him - and into the life of the Church – local, national and global.

Prayer is also a means of protection for the Christian Disciple, in that the Christian Disciple is too weak in their own understanding and strength to withstand all that is against them. God Himself assists me as I pray: where yearnings are corrected and strengthened.

Prayers expressing my desires and thoughts, offer a contributory way to my journey as a Christian Disciple. A cursory look at the book of Psalms in the Bible, will show that they are superb biblical examples of prayer. Prayer is ultimately what we as humans were made for: conversing and communicating with God, all the while developing intimacy and relationship with God. This dynamic relationship enables me to engage in prayer that is personal and relational.

However, prayer is only the penultimate stage in the relationship with God. Prayer is the forerunner of the day when I as a Christian Disciple, will know fully, even as I am fully known (1 Corinthians 13:12). All true prayer consists of a desire, a yearning and a longing to know God better, and that is to be my prime motivation: to know God better. That is why prayer is a spiritual weapon, and it is also the reason satan tries to stop Christian Disciples from praying.

That’s it for today! Next study in this series we look together at the function of prayer 

Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file

 

Psalm On Demand - Psalm 126

Psalm 126

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

1 When the Lord brought back

his exiles to Jerusalem,

it was like a dream!

2 We were filled with laughter,

and we sang for joy.

And the other nations said,

"What amazing things the Lord has done for them."

3 Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us!

What joy!

4 Restore our fortunes, Lord,

as streams renew the desert.

5 Those who plant in tears will harvest with

shouts of joy.

6 They weep as they go to plant their seed,

but they sing as they return with the harvest.

Right mouse click or tap here to save/download this Psalm as a MP3 file

Developing Intimacy With God - 8. The Bible Helps You To Get To Know God’s Will For You

Developing Intimacy With God

8. The Bible Helps You To Get To 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 should come to believe and trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and their Saviour. After starting the Christian life, you discover God’s program by humbly reading his written word, the Bible. You become aware of how God wants you to live and what God wants you to do.

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 the believer! This serves as merely an elemental introduction into the lifelong process of becoming like Jesus Christ, the Son of God – your Saviour.

Paul writes “being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ;” (Philippians 1:6). God will not abandon you, but he will keep working in you, transforming you to be like Jesus Christ. Being obedient to God’s will as revealed in the Bible, helps speed this work of transformation within you. It is work, because being obedient to God can be difficult and it can involve great personal cost. Yet it is also very 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 everybody about Himself? God uses people to spread the good news of this gospel. People are God’s hands, feet and voice to the world This includes you, if you allow him and seize every opportunity! Then conviction comes to a person through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Finally, believe it or not, God is at work in and through the church – his church. The church throughout the world and throughout history. 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 so doing, the church is strengthened and blessed abundantly. I wonder if that describes your experience of church?

Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file