Partakers Christian Podcasts

Bible Thought - Pentecost Sunday

The Holy Spirit Comes

G'day! Today is Pentecost Sunday where Christians around the world remember and celebrate the coming of the promised Holy Spirit! Happy Pentecost!

Jesus has now ascended back to the right hand of the Father. The 12 apostles are now back in Jerusalem and waiting. Waiting for the Holy Spirit to come. The coming of God the Holy Spirit is in fulfilment of the promise that Almighty and All-powerful God would indwell all those people who chose to follow Him. This event was prophesied many years before. An example is from the prophet Ezekiel:

“And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” (Ezekiel 36:27)

Throughout His earthly ministry Jesus had talked about how after He departed that God the Holy Spirit would come (John 15:26). Starting today and over the coming few days we will look at the Holy Spirit and into the book of Acts seeing how the Holy Spirit worked within and through the early Church. Let's look together!

Click or tap here to download this podcast as a mp3

Psalm On Demand - Psalm 41

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.

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

What Christians Believe - Nicene Creed

At the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea — an event significantly influenced the Christian faith and continues to unify believers across centuries and traditions. Convened in 325 by Emperor Constantine in what is now modern-day Turkey, the Council of Nicaea resulted in the creation of the Nicene Creed: the first universal summary of Christian belief. We pray together and when Christians pray together, from different nations, different churches and different denominations - that reveals Church unity! Come! Let us pray and profess together!

Nicene Creed

What we believe as Christians...

 

We believe in one God,

the Father Almighty,

Maker of heaven and earth,

and of all that is,

seen and unseen.

~

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,

the only Son of God,

eternally begotten of the Father,

God from God,

Light from Light,

true God from true God,

begotten, not made,

of one being with the Father.

~

Through Him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation

He came down from heaven:

by the power of the Holy Spirit,

He became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,

and was made man.

~

For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate;

He suffered death and was buried.

On the third day He rose again

in accordance with the Scriptures:

He ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,

and his kingdom will have no end.

~

We believe in the Holy Spirit,

the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son.

With the Father and the Son,

He is worshipped and glorified.

He has spoken through the Prophets.

~

We believe in one, holy,

catholic (universal), and apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We look for the resurrection of the dead,

and the life of the world to come.

~

Amen

Right mouse click or tap here to save this Podcast.

Bible Reading - Psalm 18

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.

 

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

d~ dddd

You can now purchase our Partakers books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site!

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.

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

Bible Thought - Conversion of Paul Acts 9

 

Paul's Conversion (Acts 9)

1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” Acts 9:1-6

The conversion of Saul (his name was changed to Paul later) is one of the most notable in the history of the Church. Certainly within the Bible itself. Indeed the conversion of Saul/Paul, was celebrated yesterday, 25 January, in parts of the Church around the world. Luke tells us the story three times. But was Paul's conversion special? Many people say "I have not had a Damascus Road experience". There were, it is true, special events on that day, which make Paul's conversion unique. However are they in any sense so special that they constitute an example for us today?

Download or listen to the mp3 to discover more, as we look together at Paul’s conversion experience.


Right Mouse click or tap here to save this as an audio mp3 file

Bible Reading - Psalm 17

Psalm 17

 

17:1 Hear, Yahweh, my righteous plea; Give ear to my prayer, that doesn’t go out of deceitful lips.

17:2 Let my sentence come forth from your presence. Let your eyes look on equity.

17:3 You have proved my heart. You have visited me in the night. You have tried me, and found nothing. I have resolved that my mouth shall not disobey.

17:4 As for the works of men, by the word of your lips, I have kept myself from the ways of the violent.

17:5 My steps have held fast to your paths. My feet have not slipped.

17:6 I have called on you, for you will answer me, God. Turn your ear to me. Hear my speech.

17:7 Show your marvelous loving kindness, you who save those who take refuge by your right hand from their enemies.

17:8 Keep me as the apple of your eye. Hide me under the shadow of your wings,

17:9 from the wicked who oppress me, my deadly enemies, who surround me.

17:10 They close up their callous hearts. With their mouth they speak proudly.

17:11 They have now surrounded us in our steps. They set their eyes to cast us down to the earth.

17:12 He is like a lion that is greedy of his prey, as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.

17:13 Arise, Yahweh, confront him. Cast him down. Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword;

17:14 from men by your hand, Yahweh, from men of the world, whose portion is in this life. You fill the belly of your cherished ones. Your sons have plenty, and they store up wealth for their children.

17:15 As for me, I shall see your face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with seeing your form.

 

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

The Practice Of The Presence Of God - Brother Lawrence Part 19

The Practice Of The Presence Of God:

The Best Rule Of A Holy Life

(being Conversations and Letters of Brother Lawrence)

Letters - Letter 15

From his death-bed. Repeats the same exhortation to knowledge that we may love.

GOD knows best what is needful for us, and all that He does is for our good. If we knew how much He loves us, we should be always ready to receive equally and with indifference from His hand the sweet and the bitter; all would please that came from Him. The sorest afflictions never appear intolerable, but when we see them in the wrong light. When we see them in the hand of GOD, who dispenses them: when we know that it is our loving FATHER, who abases and distresses us: our sufferings will lose their bitterness, and become even matter of consolation.

Let all our employment be to know GOD: the more one knows Him, the more one desires to know Him. And as knowledge is commonly the measure of love, the deeper and more extensive our knowledge shall be, the greater will be our love: and if our love of GOD were great we should love Him equally in pains and pleasures. Let us not amuse ourselves to seek or to love GOD for any sensible favors (however elevated) which He has or may do us. Such favors, though never so great, cannot bring us so near to GOD as faith does in one simple act. Let us seek Him often by faith: He is within us; seek Him not elsewhere. Are we not rude and deserve blame, if we leave Him alone, to busy ourselves about trifles, which do not please Him and perhaps offend Him? 'Tis to be feared these trifles will one day cost us dearly.

Let us begin to be devoted to Him in good earnest. Let us cast everything besides out of our hearts; He would possess them alone. Beg this favor of Him. If we do what we can on our parts, we shall soon see that change wrought in us which we aspire after. I cannot thank Him sufficiently for the relaxation He has vouchsafed you. I hope from His mercy the favor to see Him within a few days. Let us pray for one another.

[He took to his bed two days after and died within the week.]

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

~ You can now purchase our books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site!

The Practice Of The Presence Of God - Brother Lawrence Part 18

The Practice Of The Presence Of God:

The Best Rule Of A Holy Life

(being Conversations and Letters of Brother Lawrence)

Letters - Letter 14

Gratitude, for mercies to his correspondent, and measure of relief while he has himself been near death, but with consolation in his suffering.

I render thanks to our LORD, for having relieved you a little, according to your desire. I have been often near expiring, though I was never so much satisfied as then. Accordingly I did not pray for any relief, but I prayed for strength to suffer with courage, humility, and love. Ah, how sweet is it to suffer with GOD! However great the sufferings may be, receive them with love. 'Tis paradise to suffer and be with Him; so that if in this life we would enjoy the peace of paradise, we must accustom ourselves to a familiar, humble, affectionate conversation with Him: we must hinder our spirits wandering from Him upon any occasion: we must make our heart a spiritual temple, wherein to adore Him incessantly: we must watch continually over ourselves, that we may not do, nor say, nor think anything that may displease Him. When our minds are thus employed about GOD, suffering will become full of unction and consolation.

I know that to arrive at this state, the beginning is very difficult; for we must act purely in faith. But though it is difficult, we know also that we can do all things with the grace of GOD, which He never refuses to them who ask it earnestly. Knock, persevere in knocking, and I answer for it that He will open to you in His due time, and grant you all at once what He has deferred during many years. Adieu. Pray to Him for me, as I pray to Him for you. I hope to see Him quickly.

 

(Caveat: Partakers would say that if you are ill, go seek medical advice. Remember Brother Lawrence was writing at a period of history when medical help was not particularly good or widely available to the general populace.)

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

~ You can now purchase our books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site!

The Practice Of The Presence Of God - Brother Lawrence Part 17

The Practice Of The Presence Of God:

The Best Rule Of A Holy Life

(being Conversations and Letters of Brother Lawrence)

Letters - Letter 13

To the same he exhorts for fuller and entire confidence in God, for body and soul.

I am in pain to see you suffer so long; what gives me some ease, and sweetens the feeling I have of your griefs, is that they are proofs of God's love towards you: see them in that view, and you will bear them more easily. As your case is, 'tis my opinion that you should leave off human remedies, and resign yourself entirely to the providence of God; perhaps He stays only for that resignation and a perfect trust in Him to cure you. Since notwithstanding all your cares, physic has hitherto proved unsuccessful, and your malady still increases, it will not be tempting God to abandon yourself in His hands, and expect all from Him.

I told you, in my last, that He sometimes permits bodily diseases to cure the distempers of the soul. Have courage then: make a virtue of necessity: ask of GOD, not deliverance from your pains, but strength to bear resolutely, for the love of Him, all that He should please, and as long as He shall please.

Such prayers, indeed, are a little hard to nature, but most acceptable to God, and sweet to those that love Him. Love sweetens pains; and when one loves God, one suffers for His sake with joy and courage. Do you so, I beseech you; comfort yourself with Him, who is the only Physician of all our maladies. He is the Father of the afflicted, always ready to help us. He loves us infinitely more than we imagine: love Him then, and seek not consolation elsewhere: I hope you will soon receive it. Adieu. I will help you with my prayers, poor as they are, and shall be, always, yours in our Lord.

 

(Caveat: Partakers would say that if you are ill, go seek medical advice. Remember Brother Lawrence was writing at a period of history when medical help was not particularly good or widely available to the general populace.)

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

~ You can now purchase our books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site!