Partakers Christian Podcasts

Harmony of Christmas in the Gospel Accounts

Gospel Harmony of the Christmas Events

It is the beginning of Advent today! Advent is a season of expectation and preparation, waiting to celebrate joyfully the birth of Jesus at Christmas and look forward to His promised return. It’s a time to reflect, anticipate, and align our hearts with the hope, peace, joy, and love that Christ brings.Today we have a harmony of the Christmas Nativity from all 4 Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Each Gospel gives us a section of the story, therefore telling it from different perspectives.

Our Gospel readings are:
1. Pre-existence of Christ - John 1:1-18
2. Gabriel visits Mary - Luke 1:26-38
3. Mary visits Elizabeth - Luke 1:39-56
4. Angel visits Joseph - Matthew 1:18-24
5. Birth of Jesus Christ - Luke 2:1-7
6. Shepherds visit Jesus - Luke 2:8-20
7. Magi visit Jesus - Matthew 2:1-12

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A Christmas Thought By Gregory of Nazianzus - Partakers Bible Thought

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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Bible Thought - Covenant - Exploring Words In Scripture

Words In Scripture Explored – Covenant

Gday and welcome to Words In Scripture Explored! The word for today is Covenant.

Look at your money! On British money are the words "I promise to pay the bearer on demand the sum of five [ten/twenty/fifty] pounds. In fact you can even take old British banknotes to the Bank and cash them in for modern money! Promises!! That’s what a covenant is – a promise between two parties.

Covenants in the Bible

Covenants were common in all kinds of life, and not just between God and humanity. For instance where a powerful nation had taken over a weaker nation, a covenant was in place to give benefits from the powerful nation to the weaker nation, such as protection as well as sanctions if the weaker nation rebelled.

About God’s Covenants

Each covenant between God and humanity showed God promising to do something and commands for mankind to follow! When an Old Testament covenant ended in failure, it was always due to mankind’s inability to obey God! Such as when Adam & Eve ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thereby breaking the covenant made with God. The Edenic Covenant was therefore terminated and now God needed to make another covenant with Adam (Genesis 3v14-21). In the Old Testament we have six covenants between God and humanity: Edenic, Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, and the Davidic. They all had several things about them:

• God always took the initiative.
• God always gave His solemn promise to fulfil His promise.
• God always waited for a free response from humanity, without coercion or force.

New Covenant

As a Christian Disciple today, you are living under the the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31v31-34)

Four features of this covenant are: God transforming you; God being your God and you being His; God living inside you and leading you; your sins are forgiven and removed

This new covenant is sealed only through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. His blood ensures the truth of this New Covenant. There is no other way for this New Covenant to be sealed except through Jesus’ blood alone. This New Covenant finalizes what the Mosaic Covenant could only point to: the follower of God living in a righteous life conforming to God's holy character.

Whenever you celebrate Communion or the Lord’s Supper, you celebrate this New Covenant between God and yourself, for it symbolizes this New Covenant, which guarantees salvation! So go tell somebody else today about how God will make them new, forgive them, live inside them, and transform them, if only they come to Him in repentance.

Evangelism - Bible Thought - Words In Scripture Explored

Evangelism

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What is evangelism?

Evangelism is telling & showing others of God’s message of reconciliation to all people of all time. Down through the ages, the church has made two mistakes when it comes to evangelism. Firstly, it is not forcing people to adopt Church standards (1 Corinthians 5v12) and nor is it simply a message of join the church as a symbol of good works (Ephesians 2vv8-10). God has a message for all people. This message from God says that everybody has sinned against God (Isaiah 53v6; Romans 3vv10-11); nobody can earn their reconciliation with God (Ephesians 2v9); that God sent His Son Jesus to be born, crucified and resurrected so that salvation can be had by all people of all time (John 3v16; 1 Timothy 1v15); Because of that, it is only by acquiescing to God, by faith in Jesus alone that people are saved (John 5v24; Acts 16v31). That is the message of evangelism. Finally, evangelism is also lifestyle! Jesus Christ is to permeate every area of your life! You are a messenger of Jesus Christ, and a message from Jesus Christ, whether you want to be or not! The way you conduct yourself, both in public and in private, shows Jesus Christ to people.

Why evangelize?

The prime motivation for evangelism is out of gratitude for what God has done for you, in that the you love God because He loved you first (1 John 4vv10-12, 14,19). It was this sentiment Paul refers to when he writes, “For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.” (2 Corinthians 5v14). When you evangelise, you reflect something of the character of God, because God Himself is a missionary God. Jesus was sent to save the lost and redeem mankind! The Holy Spirit was sent from the Father and the Son!

You are called to go!

While you may not be called to be an evangelist (Ephesians 4v11), you are called to do the work of an evangelist (2 Timothy 4v5). In Jesus’ last words on earth, His church was commanded to be witnesses for Him (Acts 1v8). You are a member of that church, and as a part of the Church, you are included in the way God has chosen to spread His message of reconciliation (Acts 4v12; 2 Peter 3v9). Remember Paul’s words from Romans 10v14-15: “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"”

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God of Judgment - Bible Thought - Words In Scripture Explored

God of Judgment

 

We all have at some point liked to think of God as being all love and never judging. People say “It will be alright in the end, because the love of God conquers all.” Well, remember also, that love involves judging! God is the judge of all the earth, the writer of Hebrews reminds us (Hebrews 12v23)! This judgment has several aspects to it:

Unbiased

God shows no favouritism (Romans 2v11). God is eternally just and righteous. It is a reflection of His mercy, that nobody can claim God is unfair.

Unavoidable

Jesus Christ will judge the whole world with justice (Acts 17v31). People are destined to die once and after that to face judgment (Hebrews 9v27). What is common to all people, is a universal sinfulness (Romans 2v1). What is in the murderer or the thief is in all people, everywhere and of all time. That is sin and it must be judged. Judgement will be before the Great White Throne of Judgment (Revelation 20v11-15).

Universal

Judgement covers both unbelievers and believers:

 

Judgment of unbelievers - Those who do not profess Jesus, as God, will be judged according to their sinfulness. They are already guilty, because they didn’t take up the offer during their earthly life. These people will be cast into the lake of fire with satan and his angels (Revelation 20v15; Matthew 25v41). This punishment is eternal (Matthew 25v46).

Judgment of Christian Disciples - And that is not all! Those who are believers, Christian disciples, and are actively engaged in a relationship with Jesus Christ, will also be judged! Does that surprise you? While these people have accepted God’s free offer and are declared righteous by faith, they will be judged according to the things they have done with, and in, their faith. Belief and faith is to be supported by good works (Galatians 5v6; James 2v18).

 

As a Christian Disciple, you will not be judged for sin - this has been judged (Isaiah 53v4-6; 1 Peter 2v24), and you have salvation on that basis! This judgment is not for your salvation but for your crown! As a Christian Disciple, you will be asked to give an account of yourself (Romans 14v10), and you will be judged according to what you have done (2 Corinthians 5v10). The quality of your work will be tested (1 Corinthians 3v11-15) and your motives exposed – either you did things for God’s glory (1 Corinthians 4v4-5) or you did them for your own glory.

 

As a Christian Disciple, you will give account of the opportunities and abilities entrusted to you (Matthew 25v14-30). Rewards may be gained or lost (1 Corinthians 3v14-15). These rewards are described as an incorruptible crown (1 Corinthians 9v25); a crown of glory (1 Peter 5v4); crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4v8); crown of rejoicing (1 Thessalonians 2v19) and the crown of life (James 1v12)

 

So, go this day. Go this week! Go tell somebody of the crown waiting for them, if only they are willing to enter into a living and dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ! Remember - do all you do, for God’s glory and not your own!

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Bible Thought - Remember - Words In Scripture Explored

Partake - Words in Scripture Explored - Remember

The ability to remember is a wonderful gift of God to all people! Memories can bring about the full gamut of emotions -sadness, bitterness, anger, joy, ecstasy and love!

I wonder what your ability to remember is like! Perhaps you are like me, and your memory sometimes fails. Sometimes I will think I have remembered something, but it turns out to be a false memory of an event that never occurred. Or other times I will forget to remember something, and then miss out on something important! So I have learnt to write things down, in order to remember!

As a Christian, sin still tries to entangle us, but remembering certain things will help the Christian to live a righteous Christian life. One of the reasons why we still sin after becoming Christians is because we forget who we are! By remembering who you are as a Christian, not only will you behave as a dedicated follower of Jesus Christ, but you will have the assurance, only a living and dynamic relationship brings.

As a Christian Disciple remember the following in order to be assured of your relationship with Jesus, in the battle to overcome sin:

• You died with Jesus Christ (Colossians 3v3a). Jesus not only died for you, but you died with Him; and through baptism, you symbolize death with Christ.
• You are raised with Jesus Christ (Colossians 3v1a). You are also raised with Christ in baptism, and you rule with him, seated at the right hand of the Father.
• You live with Jesus Christ (Colossians 3v4a). As a Christian Disciples, Jesus is to be your life and your eternal life, is to be Jesus. You are dead to sin, yet alive to Christ.
• You are hidden with Jesus Christ (Colossians 3v3b). We You now belong to Jesus Christ and are hidden with Him in heaven. This means that your motives and strengths are to come from Him.
• You will be glorified with Jesus Christ (Colossians 3v4b). When Jesus Christ returns, you will see Him face to face, and He will take you home to eternal glory and to be fully revealed in glory.

Remember also:

• He lives inside you: God the Holy Spirit lives inside you and you are to be controlled by Him (Romans 8v9; Gal 2v20; Colossians 1v25-27)
• He has sealed you: The Holy Spirit indwells you, and is assured proof of you being God's possession (2 Corinthians 1v22; Ephesians 1v3)
• He is your security: The Holy Spirit is a deposit, guaranteeing your redemption, salvation and inheritance (Ephesians 1v13; 2 Corinthians 1v22).

Lastly, we are told to remember Jesus Christ in the sacrament of communion. You participate in it, doing it regularly as a reminder of Jesus Christ death and resurrection, until He comes again (1 Corinthians 11v26)!

Having this assurance and remembering these things helps overcome the problems you have with overcoming doubt of our assurance of salvation and acceptance before God Almighty. Remembering who you are in Jesus Christ helps you to be assured that you are His. Next time you recognize you are being tempted to sin, remember who you are and call out to Jesus for help in avoiding temptation! He will remember you and help you! Perhaps you could write down those things I have said on this Podcast to help you to remember who you are as a Christian.

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Bible Thought - A Strategy to Cope - Hebrews 3

A Strategy to Cope

Hebrews 3

1 Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house. 3 Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. 4 For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5 Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.

7 So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice,8 do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert,9 where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did.10 That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.'

11 So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.' "12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.15 As has just been said: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion."

16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.

The first thing we do is to consider Jesus or as the NIV here puts it “fix our thoughts”. Now remember, that these are Hebrew believers. I guess we would call them Messianic Jews today. They believed that Jesus was their Messiah, Saviour and Lord. They were obviously coming under pressure from their Jewish friends and leaders to deny this Jesus and return to the fold. They would have been told how great Moses was.

In the previous chapter we read how Jesus is greater than the angels, because He is God, but was made a little lower than the angels when he became a man.

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Bible Thought - Prayer - WISE

Prayer

I wonder what you think prayer is and how much of it you have experienced? Is your vision and experience of prayer too small? Let us find out together, a small part of prayer! Prayer is to be at the centre of the relationship between God and the Christian. It is the major interaction and fellowship between God and humans, and of humans communicating with God, both in talking and listening. Prayer is allowing God to be consciously in to all aspects of Christian's life and enjoying God's companionship.

John Calvin, said that part of praying was asking for "what we have learned to be available" in God's love and of His being the infinitesimal good giver. He goes on to say our "only security" is achieved by calling on the Father for His providence out of His infinite mercy.

Prayer is ultimately what humans were made for: conversing with God. Regardless of status or maturity or any other man-made barrier, God is always accessible, through prayer, to all those seeking Him with a contrite heart and a humble spirit. This dynamic relationship enables the Christian to engage in prayer that is both personal and relational. All prayer consists of a desire or longing to know God better, and that is to be the prime motivation: to know God better and more intimately.

Prayer's function is to a constant yearning for God's assistance! It is to be a strengthening of desire towards eternal happiness, holiness and worship and knowledge of God. God Himself assists us as we pray! Did you know that? He does this by correcting and strengthening the yearning we express. Prayers express desires and thoughts in a contributory way to the journey of the Christian Disciple. Prayer emits our words from ourselves to the God we seek to know, as a response to His reaching out to us.

Through prayer, God is able to comprehend the Christian Disciple regardless of language, grammar or oratory skill as long as 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 to convey deep emotions to God, regardless of our language skills. The words spoken in prayer portray our innermost feeling to Him.

Because God is personal, He values language and expects His people to talk to Him. Prayer is intimacy with God! If for some reason, the Christian Disciple is unable to convey their words in prayer, then Romans 8v26, intimates that the Holy Spirit intercedes. Prayer epitomises the Father-child relationship symbolized in the Christian Disciple's relationship with God. It further symbolizes the freedom and peace in prayer, advocated by Jesus to communicate His deepest desires, as in the Lords Prayer (Matthew 6v9-13) and in John 17. Don't just have your prayer time in the morning or evening and leave it at that. Pray throughout the day as well, asking God for His assistance as you go about your daily life! Go! Pray!

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Bible Thought - Faith - WOW Word 46

Faith

People always say that faith is blind! However the Bible says that faith is a total confidence in God’s faithfulness, which leads to reliance, trust and total obedience to Him (Hebrews 11v6). We see this faith in the Godly obedience of those around us and from the Bible and church history.

Faith in Salvation

For salvation, faith is a voluntary change of mind and heart in the sinner in which the person turns to God, relying on and accepting His offer of salvation through Jesus Christ.

1. Mind - recognition of your need of salvation. Acknowledging Christ’s death on your behalf and your need of forgiveness.
2. Emotional (Heart) – your personal assent to the gospel. You ask yourself, “What must I do to be saved?” and then you agree to make salvation a part of your life.
3. Will - Personal trust in Jesus Christ.

Now as a follower of Jesus, you are to continue having faith in Him. Four things at least you are to have faith in Him for:

By faith - He is praying for you

Jesus Christ is making intercessions for His followers (Romans 8:34). He knew the disciples troubles (Mark 6:48), just as He knows your troubles now. He feels your cares and knows what you are going through (Hebrews 4:14-16).

By faith - He will come to you

Ever felt like God is far away? Well you aren’t alone! King David often felt God was far away and unconcerned. However he also knew God would ultimately rescue him. Jesus always comes to you through difficult times, although He may not come in the time you think He should come, because He knows when you need Him most.

By faith - He will help you grow

When the disciples were in the storm and Jesus came to them walking on the water (Matthew 14:22-33), the purpose of this incident was to show that Jesus would be leaving them soon, so they had to learn to trust in Him when He wasn’t physically present. Peter wrote later on in his life, “for the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers” (1 Peter 3v12).

By faith, He will see you through

At the same event, Jesus said “Come” and Peter went with Him. This must have encouraged the other disciples, for upon seeing Jesus’ power they worshipped him. Whatever troubles you are undergoing are temporary, and Jesus will see you through.

By faith, you have salvation. By faith Jesus is praying, will come to you, grow you and help you through troubles. By being obedient to God, you are showing others your salvation and showing that faith, is not blind, but active!

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Bible Thought - God of Love - WISE

A God Of Love

We live in a world that is in love with love. Love, according to some people, is what makes the world go around. Valentines day and the endemic materialism associated with it is evidence of that! There are more songs written about all kinds of love than perhaps any other subject!  In the Bible, God’s love is revealed. The Apostle John in 1 John 4 does not simply say that God loves, but rather that God is love. Remember that God is the Holy Trinity, three persons in one. The Trinity is a living, vibrant community of love, and every activity of the Trinity, is an expression of love. God loves because that is His very nature. Throughout the Bible, God’s love is described as an unfailing, everlasting, intimate, sacrificial, unbreakable, conquering, immeasurable and all-knowing. How is God’s love seen? It is seen in two ways.

Firstly, it is shown supremely in that He has given His Son to be the Saviour of the world, so that if a person takes up that opportunity, they can know and enjoy God in a personal relationship. God had only one Son, Jesus Christ, and He sent Him on a rescue mission to seek the lost and to reconcile people to God. This is love in action. The lover dying for the ones He loves.

Secondly, God’s love is shown when Christians love. As a Christian, you are a child of God, so you should want to be like your Heavenly Father, by showing the world your love for others and your transformed character. The Christian Church should be a community of love, for this is how the world sees God

If people see Christians that are not loving and kind, rightly or wrongly, the whole Church is branded as a bunch of fakes and hypocrites. Worse still, God is seen at best as nothing more than a distant uncaring irrelevant figure. The love between Christians is seen as a visible showing of the invisible God. The very character of the church should always be to reflect God in all aspects. The ultimate example of showing people God, is for you as a Christian, to love and be love. People should be seeing God’s love, through your love. For as Jesus said, “All men will know that you are my disciples if you have love one for another” (John 13:35).

His love releases us from the things that so easily entangle our daily walk with Him. The more you hold onto His love, the more you will desire it and the more it will be revealed in your daily life. Your love in action today, reflects God’s love in action on the cross. How will you reflect this God of love today, to the world around you? Go and love - to the glory of God! Maranatha!

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