G‘day! 🌟 Welcome to Partakers Christian Podcasts! Tune in for Bible Teaching, Bible Readings, Worship, Prayer, and Church History. Our mission on Podbean is to enable and encourage you on your faith journey. Come listen, interact, and be inspired!
Episodes
Sunday Jul 14, 2019
Sunday Jul 14, 2019
Teachings of Seraphim
Part 7. Mercy
It is necessary to be merciful to those wretched and wandering. The great light givers and Fathers of the Church took great care concerning this. In relation to this virtue we must try by all means to fulfil the following law of God: "Be merciful, as your Father also is merciful," and, "I will have mercy, and not sacrifice" (Luke. 6:36; Matthew 9:13).
The wise heed these saving words, but the foolish do not heed them. For this reason the reward is also different, as is said: "He which sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully" (2 Corinthians 9:6).
Giving alms to those in need must be done with a spiritually kind disposition, in agreement with the teachings of St. Isaac the Syrian: "If you give anything to him who asks, may the joy of your face precede your alms, and comfort his sorrow with kind words."
An excerpt from the teachings of Seraphim of Sarov of the 18th & 19th centuries. He was one of the most renowned Russian saints in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Seraphim extended the monastic teachings of contemplation, theoria and self-denial to the layperson.
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Sunday Jul 07, 2019
Sunday Jul 07, 2019
Teachings of Seraphim
Part 6. Love for Neighbours
One must behave affectionately toward one’s neighbours, not showing even a hint of offense. When we turn away from a person or offend him, it is as if a rock settles on our heart. One must try to cheer the spirit of an embarrassed or dejected person with words of love.
When you see a brother sinning, cover him, as counselled by St. Isaac the Syrian: "Stretch out your vestment over the sinner and cover him."
In our relations with our neighbours we must be equally pure towards everyone in word as well as in thought; otherwise we will make our life useless. We must love others no less than ourselves, in accordance with the law of the Lord: "You shalt love your neighbour as yourself" (Luke 10:27).
But not so much that our love for others, by extending past the boundaries of moderation, diverts us from fulfilling the first and main law of love towards God, as our Lord Jesus Christ himself taught: "He that loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me" (Matthew 10:37).
An excerpt from the teachings of Seraphim of Sarov of the 18th & 19th centuries. He was one of the most renowned Russian saints in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Seraphim extended the monastic teachings of contemplation, theoria and self-denial to the layperson.
Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file
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You can now purchase our Partakers books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site!
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Sunday Jun 30, 2019
Sunday Jun 30, 2019
Teachings of Seraphim
Part 5. Love for God
He who has acquired perfect love for God goes through this life as if he did not exist. For he considers himself a stranger to all that is visible and awaits with patience that which is unseen. He is completely transformed into love for God and has abandoned all worldly attachments.
He who truly loves God considers himself a wanderer and newcomer on earth, for in him is a striving towards God in soul and mind, which contemplates Him alone.
As for care of the soul, a person in his body is like a lighted candle. The candle must burn out, and a person must die. But as our soul is immortal, so our cares should be directed more toward the soul than the body: "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:26)" for which, as is known, nothing in the world can serve as ransom? If the soul alone is worth more than all the world and the worldly kingdom, then the Kingdom of Heaven is incomparably more precious. We consider the soul as most precious for the reason stated by Macarius the Great, that God did not desire to bond and unite His spiritual essence with any visible creation except man, whom He loves more than any of His creations.
An excerpt from the teachings of Seraphim of Sarov of the 18th & 19th centuries. He was one of the most renowned Russian saints in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Seraphim extended the monastic teachings of contemplation, theoria and self-denial to the layperson.
Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file
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Sunday Jun 23, 2019
Sunday Jun 23, 2019
Teachings of Seraphim
Part 4. Hope
All those having firm hope in God are raised to Him and enlightened with the radiance of eternal light.
If a person does not have superfluous care for himself, out of his love for God and for virtuous deeds, and knows that God will take care of him, then this hope is true and wise. But if a person places all his hope in his works, and turns to God in prayer only when unforeseen misfortunes befall him, then he, seeing that he lacks the means of averting them in his own abilities, begins to hope for help from God -- but such a hope is trivial and false. True hope seeks the one Kingdom of God and is sure that everything necessary for this mortal life will surely be given. The heart cannot have peace until it acquires this hope. This hope pacifies it fully and brings joy to it. The most holy lips of the Saviour spoke about this very hope:
"Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).
An excerpt from the teachings of Seraphim of Sarov of the 18th & 19th centuries. He was one of the most renowned Russian saints in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Seraphim extended the monastic teachings of contemplation, theoria and self-denial to the layperson.
Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file
~
You can now purchase our Partakers books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site!
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Sunday Jun 16, 2019
Sunday Jun 16, 2019
Teachings of Seraphim
Part 3. Faith
Faith, according to the teachings of St. Antioch, is the beginning of our union with God: the true believers are the stone of the church of God, prepared for the edifice of God the Father, which is raised up to the heights by the power of Jesus Christ, that is, by the Cross and help of the grace of the Holy Spirit.
"Faith without works is dead" (James 2:26). The works of faith are love, peace, longsuffering, mercy, humility, bearing one’s cross and life by the spirit. True faith cannot remain without works. One who truly believes will also surely perform good works.
An excerpt from the teachings of Seraphim of Sarov of the 18th & 19th centuries. He was one of the most renowned Russian saints in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Seraphim extended the monastic teachings of contemplation, theoria and self-denial to the layperson.
Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file
~
You can now purchase our Partakers books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site!
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Sunday Jun 09, 2019
Sunday Jun 09, 2019
Teachings of Seraphim
The Reasons for Christ’s Coming
Jesus Christ came because of:
1. God's love towards the human race: "For so God loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son" (John 3:16);
2. The restoration of the image and likeness of God in fallen man;
3. The salvation of human souls: "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved" (John 3:17).
And so, we, following the goals of our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, must lead our lives according to His Godly teaching, in order to save our souls by it.
An excerpt from the teachings of Seraphim of Sarov of the 18th & 19th centuries. He was one of the most renowned Russian saints in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Seraphim extended the monastic teachings of contemplation, theoria and self-denial to the layperson.
Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file
~
You can now purchase our Partakers books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site!
Click or tap on the appropriate link below to subscribe, share or download our iPhone App!
Sunday Jun 02, 2019
Sunday Jun 02, 2019
Teachings of Seraphim
We start today a new series, with excerpts from the teachings of Seraphim of Sarov of the 18th & 19th centuries. He was one of the most renowned Russian saints in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Seraphim extended the monastic teachings of contemplation, theoria and self-denial to the layperson.
About God
God is fire, warming and igniting the heart and inward parts. So, if we feel coldness in our hearts, which is from the devil (for the devil is cold), then let us call the Lord: He, in coming, will warm our heart with perfect love, not only towards Himself, but to our neighbors as well. And the coldness of the despiser of good will run from the face of His warmth.
Where there is God, there is no evil. Everything coming from God is peaceful, healthy and leads a person to the judgment of his own imperfections and humility. God shows us His love for man not only in those instances when we do good, but also when we affront Him with our sins and anger Him. With what long-suffering he bears our lawlessness!
"Do not call God a rightful Judge," says St. Isaac, "for His rightful judgment is not seen in your deeds. True, David called Him a righteous judge and rightly, but the Son of God has shown us that God is good and merciful even more. Where is His righteous judgment? We were sinners, but Christ died for us" (St. Isaac the Syrian, Word 90).
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Sunday Nov 05, 2017
Sunday Nov 05, 2017
Thanking God for the Reformation
Part 7
What are Romans 1:16-17 and Romans 3:22-23 all about that to be the catalyst for change and reformation of Martin Luther?
The Church before the Reformation G’day and welcome to our series, Thanking God for the Reformation, where we are looking at and celebrating that momentous event in history, and including in that, Church history. These are extracts from the book “Heroes And Heretics Abound” available on Amazon sites.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:21-24
We know that the verses from Romans 1:16-17 were used by God, to be the catalyst for Martin Luther to commence what we call the Reformation. But what is it about these verses, caused him to think like that?
Please do download the podcast using the link below and hear what this message has to say for you today in the 21st century: some 2,000 years after they were written and 500 years after affecting Martin Luther - words which are still alive and active today.
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Saturday Nov 04, 2017
Saturday Nov 04, 2017
Thanking God for the Reformation
Part 6: Into The 18th Century and The Age of Reason
G’day and welcome to our series, 'Thanking God for the Reformation', where we are looking at and celebrating that momentous event in history, and including in that, Church history. These are extracts from the book “Heroes And Heretics Abound” available on Amazon sites.
The 18th century is widely regarded as the ‘Age of Reason’ – the age of scientific discovery. Science was discovering the natural laws that governed the earth. Quickly God was become merely at best an impersonal observer and the supernatural, spiritual worlds and the divine inspiration of Scriptures were being denied.
Within general society, the 'need for God' disappeared as science and philosophy felt they could explain everything without the need of a God or gods. For the church, this was a century of stagnation and decay. In the USA, the original evangelical fervour had faded into commerce and prosperity.
However, there were glimpses of the Church being empowered. Not all was lost! There were still glimmers of the church still being alive! In the mid-18th century there was a spiritual revival throughout the USA and Britain.
Come and hear more of this exciting adventure of Church History - the catalyst of which was the birth of the Reformation commenced by Martin Luther... We look to America and Jonathon Edwards and return to England and the Wesley brothers.
The church is almost 2000 years old now. The Holy Spirit is still at work, empowering the church despite the Age of Reasoning and the wide-spread ignorance of the spiritual aspects of life.
This is the last in this series! The story of the Church continues, and will continue until the object and source of the Church’s faith, Jesus Christ returns in glory just as He has promised to do! Let’s learn the lessons of Church History and give thanks to God for those who have gone before us and help make the Church what it is today.
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You can now purchase our Partakers books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site!
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Friday Nov 03, 2017
Friday Nov 03, 2017
Thanking God for the Reformation
Part 5 - English Reformation
The Church before the Reformation G’day and welcome to our series, Thanking God for the Reformation, where we are looking at and celebrating that momentous event in history, and including in that, Church history. These are extracts from the book “Heroes And Heretics Abound” available on Amazon sites.
We are now in England in the early 16th century! Protestantism had commenced earlier in the 14th century with John Wycliffe who we looked at earlier. Wycliffe was the 'Morning Star of the English Reformation'. The main issue in the 14th to 16th centuries, as we have seen, was the movement towards 'None but Christ saves'. That is, the Gospel is good news for all of humanity, regardless of who they are, that nobody can earn their salvation, but rather salvation is a free gift from God for all those who choose to receive it. The main issue in the 17th century however, was 'None but Christ reigns'. How so? How did this Reformation come about?
Download the mp3 podcast using the links below to learn more!
In today's Podcast we look at such people & events of history as:
- Henry VIII
- Pope Clement VII
- Thomas Cranmer
- Mary Tudor also know as "Queen Bloody Mary"
- Queen Elizabeth I
- James VI of Scotland
- James I of England
- Presbyterian
- National Covenant
- Puritans
- Separatists
- Baptists
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You can now purchase our Partakers books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site!
Click or tap on the appropriate link below to subscribe, share or download our iPhone App!