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G’day and welcome to Partakers Christian Podcasts! Join us for uplifting Bible teaching, inspiring readings, heartfelt worship, powerful prayers, and fascinating church history. Whether you’re new to faith or growing deeper in your journey, we’re here to encourage and equip you. 🎧 Tune in, interact, and be inspired—wherever you are in the world.
Episodes
Wednesday Dec 17, 2025
Wednesday Dec 17, 2025
Psalm 110
(Read by Noelle)
Yahweh says to my Lord,
"Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool for your feet."
Yahweh will send forth the rod of your strength out of Zion.
Rule in the midst of your enemies.
Your people offer themselves
willingly in the day of your power, in holy array.
Out of the womb of the morning,
you have the dew of your youth.
Yahweh has sworn, and will not change his mind:
"You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek."
The Lord is at your right hand.
He will crush kings in the day of his wrath.
He will judge among the nations.
He will heap up dead bodies.
He will crush the ruler of the whole earth.
He will drink of the brook in the way;
therefore he will lift up his head.
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Monday Dec 15, 2025
Monday Dec 15, 2025
Psalm 20
20:1 May Yahweh answer you in the day of trouble.
May the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high,
20:2 send you help from the sanctuary,
grant you support from Zion,
20:3 remember all your offerings, and accept your burnt sacrifice.
Selah.
20:4 May He grant you your heart’s desire,
and fulfill all your counsel.
20:5 We will triumph in your salvation.
the name of our God, we will set up our banners.
May Yahweh grant all your requests.
20:6 Now I know that Yahweh saves his anointed.
He will answer him from his holy heaven,
with the saving strength of his right hand.
20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses,
but we trust the name of Yahweh our God.
20:8 They are bowed down and fallen,
but we rise up, and stand upright.
20:9 Save, Yahweh! Let the King answer us when we call!
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Thursday Dec 11, 2025
Thursday Dec 11, 2025
A Christmas Sermon of John Chrysostom (4th century)
Bethlehem this day resembles heaven; hearing from the stars the singing of angelic voices; and in place of the sun, enfolds within itself on every side, the Son of justice. Ask not how: for where God wills, the order of nature yields. For He willed, He had the power, He descended, He redeemed; all things yielded in obedience to God.
And so the kings have come, and they have seen the heavenly King that has come upon the earth, not bringing with Him Angels, nor Archangels, nor Thrones, nor Dominations, nor Powers, nor Principalities, but, treading a new and solitary path, He has come forth from a spotless womb.
Since this heavenly birth cannot be described, neither does His coming amongst us in these days permit of too curious scrutiny. Though I know that a Virgin this day gave birth, and I believe that God was begotten before all time, yet the manner of this generation I have learned to venerate in silence and I accept that this is not to be probed too curiously with wordy speech. For with God we look not for the order of nature, but rest our faith in the power of Him who works.
What shall I say to you; what shall I tell you? I behold a Mother who has brought forth; I see a Child come to this light by birth. The manner of His conception I cannot comprehend. Nature here rested, while the Will of God labored. O ineffable grace! The Only Begotten, Who is before all ages, Who cannot be touched or be perceived, Who is simple, without body, has now put on my body, that is visible and liable to corruption. For what reason? That coming amongst us he may teach us, and teaching, lead us by the hand to the things that men cannot see. For since men believe that the eyes are more trustworthy than the ears, they doubt of that which they do not see, and so He has deigned to show Himself in bodily presence, that He may remove all doubt.
Christ, finding the holy body and soul of the Virgin, builds for Himself a living temple, and as He had willed, formed there a man from the Virgin; and, putting Him on, this day came forth; unashamed of the lowliness of our nature’. For it was to Him no lowering to put on what He Himself had made. Let that handiwork be forever glorified, which became the cloak of its own Creator. For as in the first creation of flesh, man could not be made before the clay had come into His hand, so neither could this corruptible body be glorified, until it had first become the garment of its Maker.
What shall I say! And how shall I describe this Birth to you? For this wonder fills me with astonishment. The Ancient of days has become an infant. He who sits upon the sublime and heavenly Throne, now lies in a manger. And He Who cannot be touched, who is simple, without complexity, and incorporeal, now lies subject to the hands of men. He Who has broken the bonds of sinners, is now bound by an infants bands. But He has decreed that ignominy shall become honor, infamy be clothed with glory, and total humiliation the measure of His Goodness. For this He assumed my body, that I may become capable of His Word; taking my flesh, He gives me His spirit; and so He bestowing and I receiving, He prepares for me the treasure of Life. He takes my flesh, to sanctify me; He gives me His Spirit, that He may save me.
Come, then, let us observe the Feast. Truly wondrous is the whole chronicle of the Nativity. For this day the ancient slavery is ended, the devil confounded, the demons take to flight, the power of death is broken, paradise is unlocked, the curse is taken away, sin is removed from us, error driven out, truth has been brought back, the speech of kindliness diffused, and spreads on every side, a heavenly way of life has been ‘in planted on the earth, angels communicate with men without fear, and men now hold speech with angels.
Why is this? Because God is now on earth, and man in heaven; on every side all things commingle. He became Flesh. He did not become God. He was God. Wherefore He became flesh, so that He Whom heaven did not contain, a manger would this day receive. He was placed in a manger, so that He, by whom all things arc nourished, may receive an infant’s food from His Virgin Mother. So, the Father of all ages, as an infant at the breast, nestles in the virginal arms, that the Magi may more easily see Him. Since this day the Magi too have come, and made a beginning of withstanding tyranny; and the heavens give glory, as the Lord is revealed by a star.
To Him, then, Who out of confusion has wrought a clear path, to Christ, to the Father, and to the Holy Ghost, we offer all praise, now and for ever. Amen.
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Monday Dec 01, 2025
Monday Dec 01, 2025
A Christmas Thought By Gregory of Nazianzus (329 – 390)
Christ is born, glorify Him.
Christ from heaven, go out to meet Him.
Christ on earth, be exalted.
Sing to the Lord all the whole earth;
and that I may join both in one word, let the heavens rejoice,
and let the earth be glad, for Him who is of heaven and then of earth.
Christ in the flesh, rejoice with trembling and with joy;
with trembling because of your sins,
with joy because of your hope.
Come on in to hear more of this person of the ancient Church!
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Thursday Nov 27, 2025
Thursday Nov 27, 2025
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.
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Wednesday Nov 26, 2025
Wednesday Nov 26, 2025
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?
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~
Tuesday Nov 25, 2025
Tuesday Nov 25, 2025
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.
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Monday Nov 24, 2025
Monday Nov 24, 2025
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
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Sunday Nov 23, 2025
Sunday Nov 23, 2025
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?
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Saturday Nov 22, 2025
Saturday Nov 22, 2025
Developing Intimacy With God
7. The Bible Helps You To Get To Know God Better
One of the very key teachings from the Bible is that God is love and that he can be known personally. That is why we know that he has spoken to humanity through his two WOW Words – Jesus Christ and the Bible. People are not naturally born possessing this knowledge, even though they know that God exists. That knowledge is not the same as knowing God personally. In the same way that I know about Queen Elizabeth II, I don’t know her personally. That is the same state that some people are in with regards to God.
Personal knowledge of God is ultimately crucial however, since knowing God personally and developing that relationship is what being a Christian is all about. As a Christian believer, you should be rejoicing that God earnestly desires you to gain this knowledge of Him, and 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.
While God can be known, your own knowledge of God, both now and in the future, will only ever partial. You will never know everything there is to be known about God. Knowledge of Him is both wonderful and endless. As you grow spiritually, knowing the Bible and thus knowing God more, you will grow in spiritual maturity. Why do you need to grow in maturity and knowledge?
The Apostle Peter commands that you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). You do this as part of your spiritual journey. Your aim is to become more like Jesus Christ. One of the Christian life’s’ greatest delights, is developing an intimate knowledge of God, intimacy with him and exploration of him and his ways.
The gospel, which means ‘good news’ or the news of Jesus you share with other people, is rightly entitled: ”the power of God to salvation” (Romans 1:16). The gospel the Bible brings to us is the agent of the new birth. The gospel is the soap by which God gives the believing sinner a spiritual bath resulting in salvation. The Bible is a teacher that brings wisdom, which leads to salvation.