Partakers Christian Podcasts

Psalm 23

1 The LORD is my shepherd,

I shall not be in want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,

3 he restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever!

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The normal (Christian) journey of faith

Chapter 7: Organizing Your Devotions

This is a tricky one! It is very much a product of my own experience – failing to organize my own devotions for many years because no one told me how to do it. So it is a very personal argument I am going to present. Please, forgive me for that.

When we start along the Christian path there are plenty of people telling us how we should organize our devotions. The trouble is, or was for me, that they all seem to be written by those wonderful people who are full of energy all day long and have a great ability to organize that energy to good purpose. So they tell us we should bound out of bed at some unearthly hour in the morning; read our Bibles, and pray for an hour or preferably two; then proceed to breakfast and a full day’s work. Waaah! I just don’t operate like that. Perhaps you don’t either. Until I have had my breakfast my mind is out of gear. For you that early necessity may be the first cup of coffee – even worse! We are not all super-man or super-woman, are we?

So, if we are just ordinary, how should we organize our devotional lives?

I believe the answer is that we should think about it very carefully and construct a schedule that suits us in the sense that it is one that we can adhere to without too great difficulty even if it is not at all what the people who write books and articles on the subject say we should do.

Let me give you an example: I had been a Christian for very many years before I realized that by far the best thing I could do was to set aside one evening a week to spend reading my Bible, reading a good commentary on the same passage, thinking about it (the posh word is meditating), praying about all sorts of things and generally getting close to the Lord. The rest of the week my encounters with the Lord were, I must admit, rather thin and short affairs, fitted into the gaps in my very busy life. Sorry, Lord, but that is what worked for me. I was happy with it; I hope You were.

Do you see what I am driving at? Most of us, most of the time, are rather busy people. It may be a workload, not helped by emails and mobile phones. It may be that you are a mother with two pre-school age kids, in which case there are few or no gaps in your days at all until they are both horizontal and your spouse is home and has eaten. Even then you have to dodge the television and bury the phone if you are to get any peace and quiet. But space can be made if you stop and think about how it can be created. However busy we may think we are, however busy we actually are, there are gaps in our week. Your television set will be able to tell you how much spare time you really have!

The sort of personality we are deeply affects how we operate in this area. A few years ago we joined in a small group of 8 people, 4 couples, for prayer and mutual support. We managed to get into some deeper sharing than is usual in our culture. To our surprise we discovered that of the 8 of us, all of whom could have been counted as senior Christians, long on the road of faith, only 2 could claim anything like a well organized spiritual life with daily prayer, Bible reading and meditation. Both these 2, who did not include me, were people who quite clearly by the nature of their work were accustomed to a neat, well controlled and organized daily work experience and both had personalities that fitted well into that sort of situation. The other 6 of us were much more haphazard in our spiritual lives. 8 people constitutes a very small sample from which no statistically sound conclusions can be drawn, but it made me, and I think the other 5 non-achievers, wonder.

A good, God honouring daily prayer life does not come easily. Ever since that experience of the 2 and the 6 I have wondered when people talk about praying for this and that, whether they really do – if they are honest.

So much for the organization side of things. Now – what should we organize? Here are some ideas, not all of which you could reasonably use in one session. First: Bible reading. I am surprised at how many apparently senior Christians use comparatively ‘thin’ Bible study notes. They are a good way to start into the Bible (along with the Study Bible I mentioned earlier) but must surely rate as the ‘milk’ Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 3 and the ‘basic teaching’ the writer to the Hebrews talks about in Hebrews 6. Commentaries on the Bible will usually provide deeper things to think about and meditate on. We, my wife and I, find the NIV Application Commentary series very good in the way they not only explain the text but lead one’s thoughts forward to deeper understanding and meditation – all of which advice is dependant, of course, on whether you are in a position to get hold of them. Then, of course, there is all the material Dave puts into these Partaker notes, which are usually also deep and thought provoking (this particular series is not designed to do quite that) and will be available to you since you are reading this!

For prayer, again subject to availability, there are many sets of Prayer Notes provided by many of the mission societies and some churches and it is good to use them. My wife uses a book of fairly old hymns to lead her on in the way of Worship prayer and to avoid the temptation to make a time of prayer just a list of the things one would like to happen. Being a well organized person she has a bundle of Prayer Letters from various full-time workers on the Mission field and she reads and uses the top one of these each day before putting it to the back of the bundle.

So what?

It should be obvious by now that there are many things one can do by way of prayer. I haven’t mentioned things like the way some people say they pray as they drive the car to work (not for me!). There is great value in having one particular spot, a chair or a room, which is the place we pray. If closing your eyes to pray tempts you to go to sleep leave them open! You will have understood by now that what I am trying to do is to make you, and everybody else reading or listening to these notes, think about how you should go about your relationship with the Lord. There are many different ways of going about it and not everyone will use every way or the same way. We don’t all have the same amount of time or energy or the same sort of personality. There is no exact precise set of rules about how we should go about it in our Christian faith, unlike some other religions that make a great play about having everyone do the exact same things in the exact same way at the exact same times. Perhaps our way is harder – but true faith in the Lord Jesus Christ was never promised to be easy! And it shows up much more clearly what our faith means to us.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Amen

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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.

 

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d~ dddd

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Psalm 45

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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.


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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.

 

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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.]

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