Partakers Christian Podcasts

Thursday Ponderings

22nd March 2012

Overcoming Envy!

1 Corinthians 13:4 says” Love does not envy.” It is a hard to put into practice at all times. As a divorced woman, I find it hard sometimes not to envy those people who have someone with whom to share their lives. Someone to cuddle up next to on the sofa, someone to share how each day has been, and someone to care about me. Of course I have family and friends who love me dearly but they have busy lives and don’t have the time always to listen, when I need to talk.

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I don’t work at the moment so money isn’t in abundance, so occasionally I envy my sisters who are both very high earners and can buy what they want, when they want. Or I walk past a huge rambling house in the country and think, wouldn’t it be nice to live there. Mark 7:21-23 mentions envy amongst a list of evils including murder! It states: "For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” Romans 1:29 also has envy included in a list of types of depravity: This list too includes murder "They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice." So evidently envy isn’t too be regarded as a minor sin. Proverbs 14:30 A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. In Philippians 4:12, Paul says he has learnt the secret of being content at all times, whether in times of want or times of plenty. The secret I believe is in knowing God our father intimately, the more we know God the easier it is to trust Him that He knows what’s best for us. The next time you find yourself envying someone, try to think of something to thank God for, or just praise Him for who He is.

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Thursday Ponderings

15th March 2012

Talk about Him! Show Him!

If you love someone it’s difficult not to talk about them – think about when you first fell in love with someone, their name would slip into conversation all the time. It’s not how much you know that makes it easy to tell others about God; it’s how well you know Him, because if you know Him you can’t fail to be in love with HIM.

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It’s our responsibility as Christians to tell others about God and what He has done for us, in sending His son to die as a sacrifice for our sins. Matt 28:19-20 says "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." It is Jesus talking. He is not giving this command to evangelists only but to all His disciples, including us. Acts 1: 8 states "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Note the word witness, that’s all evangelism is, witnessing about God’s love. Again it is Jesus talking to his disciples, so it applies to us as well. 2 Timothy 4: 5 instructs "But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry." Please note the words do the work of an evangelist. It is very clear that we cannot opt out of this. I talk to people all the time about my faith because people ask me about it. They want to know what I believe about all sorts of things. If I don’t know where a particular: in the bible is, I have a very bad memory, I can tell you what the: is but not which book chapter and:, I simply tell them I’ll look it up and get back to them. Or if I’m unsure what I believe about something I am honest and tell them I haven’t thought about it or don’t know enough the subject to give them an answer. I have to tell you that I ask God to send people that ask me about my faith and God is very good at that!

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Think Spot

5th March 2012

G'day and welcome to Partakers ThinkSpot on Monday, the 12^th of March 2012. Play the audio and see how Jim and Joy are challenging you to live your faith out this week!

Why Read the Bible?

“Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe practice it to be holy.” These words are written in the front of my Bible. They remind me how important the Bible is to me. It is my food and drink. It is described that way in the Bible It is also described as Honey as well as a hammer. A lamp and light to my path. Strong meat, a sword, milk and I am sure a good number of other words because it is so important and so indispensable to the Believer.

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Think Spot

5th March 2012

G'day and welcome to Partakers ThinkSpot on Monday, the 5^th of March 2012. Play the audio and see how Jim and Joy are challenging you to live your faith out this week!

The Offence of the Gospel

“You are upsetting me with what you are saying about that Bible teaching and Jesus Christ. I think I am a Christian and I dont need to go to church to be a Christian. I keep the Ten Commandments and I say the Lord's prayer every night but I dont need to get as serious as you do and spend so much times in church and thinking about God”

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Thursday Ponderings

1st March 2012

Imitate me!

1 Thessalonians 1:6-7, and bear in mind Paul is talking of himself - “You became imitators of us and of the Lord;...And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia” The word “imitate” used here means a pattern, sketch, and an outline of what a Christian is . 1 Corinthians 4:16 says “I urge you then to imitate me “

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Paul is saying look at me and do what I do. 1 Thessalonians 3:7-10 gives us a practical example. Paul says “For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate.” Hebrews 13:7 advises us to “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” He’s not saying be an exact copy! We are all uniquely different. If you give a group of children an outline of an elephant they will all colour them in differently some will be red some will be yellow. We should all be recognisable as Christians but we are different shapes, have different fashion senses and have different personalities. People should notice we’re different! We should stand out from the crowd – not because we’re weird, or have no social skills. We should stand out because we’re reliable, we’re hospitable, we’re friendly, forgiving, we are loving, gentle and self controlled. We should stand out from the crowd because we don’t gossip, everything we say about and to other people is encouraging. We are patient, kind, ready to listen to others rather than just talking about ourselves. People should want to be around us because the aroma of Jesus oozes from us. We can never be like that unless we stay close to God, He is the key. The more time we spend worshipping him alone, praying to Him on our own, studying his word the more we will become like Him. Then we can say to other Christians “Imitate me!” just as Paul said to the Thessalonians!

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Thursday Ponderings

23rd February 2012

Fear of the Lord

It is not popular or common in Christian circles to talk about the fear of the Lord. People much prefer to emphasis a loving, fluffy God who forgives everything. They tend to ignore the discipline side of God. In Acts 5, we have a chilling account of how God deals with two Christians who lie. Basically they drop dead. That is how seriously God takes sin and we would do well to remember that on a daily basis.

We are all in the land of the enemy and are subject to his attacks in spirit soul and body, but God says, "Give no place to the Devil" Eph 4:27 That means that the devil cannot take a place in us if we do not let him. We open the way for him to come in if we sin the smallest sin in word, thought or deed and gives place for the devil to do us harm. I'm going to repeat that because it is very important. We open a way for the devil to come into our lives and attack us when we commit the smallest sin in word, in thought or in deed.

Another way we can let the devil in to attack us is to become apathetic, to become lazy in the amount of time we spend with God seeking his will. If you fit your quiet time in whilst you're eating your breakfast, or making your packed lunch do you expect anyone to believe that God is the most important thing in your life. Or if you get into bed last thing at night and read your bible for 20 minutes before putting out the light. That's not loving God.

If you love someone you spend lots of time with them, you hang around them as soon as they come in the door you stop watching your favourite TV prog in order to spend time with them. You get up an hour earlier in the morning to be in their prescence. You spend lunch with them. You spend time listening to them, asking them what their desires are? Your weekends are planned around them, so you can be together as much as possible. Does that sound like the time you spend with God?

1 Peter 5:8 -  be vigilant (watch all the time) because your adversary the devil walks about liking a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.'
Job 28:28 - And he said to the human race, "The fear of the Lord-that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding."
Psalm 33:8 - Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him. It's a choice! We choose to fear the Lord or to not fear the Lord
Proverbs 1:29 - since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD.

How do fear the Lord in practice
Deuteronomy 6:2 - so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.
Psalm 112:1 - Praise the LORD. Blessed are those who fear the LORD, who find great delight in his commands.
Psalm 128:1 - Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in obedience to him
Psalm 34:11-14 Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

Benefits of fearing the Lord

Psalm 112:1 - Praise the LORD. Blessed are those who fear the LORD, who find great delight in his commands.
Psalm 128:1 - Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in obedience to him
Psalm 25:14 - The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.
Psalm 34:7 - The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
Psalm 34:9 - Fear the LORD, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing
Psalm 103:13 - As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
Psalm 147:11 - the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

It's hard work

Proverbs 2 v 1-6 My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding- indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.

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Think Spot

20th February 2012

G'day and welcome to Partakers ThinkSpot on Monday, the 20^th of February 2012. Let's go over to Jim and Joy and discover what they are sharing with us today. Over to you, Jim!

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Its a new week and a new day and you are bursting to tell someone about Jesus. Right? No you say I freeze up and fear. Help!! If there was ever a man who couldn't keep the good news of Jesus to himself it was this man Philip we read about him in the book of Acts. Looking at this man, what do we notice that we can hopefully relate to and learn from his example? Maybe we can follow his example as we prepare ourselves for a new week witnessing for Jesus. We take up the story in Acts 8 Philip the evangelist is having a great time in Samaria making Christ known as Saviour Healer and Deliverer. Philip was saying "listen as I tell you of the all powerful Jesus Christ who can transform peoples lives." As he preached the good news of Jesus the whole city is being turned to God, many miracles occurring and many were saved, healed and delivered from all kinds of demonic influences. Revival was taking place. Philip must have been overjoyed to be there. Philip was having the time of his life. But you know something we can get so caught up with evangelism and the excitement of it where we are, as people around us are beginning to see God in a new light and yes enjoying God, that we easily forget there is a big world out there and God is caring for it and is eager for people of all nations to come to know Jesus and experiencing the joy and peace to be found in Him. So my first thought to share that I see here is that in meeting peoples needs in evangelism God is not only looking at Samaria but always has a much bigger picture in view. God the Almighty who knows everything is all powerful and sees the whole world in one view. He sees every country at the same moment and is working out his plans and purposes in them. So into this chapter and story where Philip is one of the main characters walks or rather rides another important person who is going to play a very important place in God's strategy for converting not another city like Samaria but a larger country called Ethiopia. So God had a plan. It begins with linking up Philip with this important man on his journey to Ethiopia. A man who was although a worshipper of God was desperate in needing help to understanding the good news of Jesus the Messiah as Lord and King. He didnt know the gospel. No one had told him. This man held a very high rank in the Ethiopian governemet. He was the Queen of Ethiopia's treasurer. A man who would have tremendous influence in the nation. He had been to Egypt perhaps for business reasons . But nothing happens by chance inb this world does it? Certainly not as far as God is concerned or His [people.He had spent time at the temple worshipping but lacked knowledge and understanding of the truth concerning Jesus. So how is God going to introduce his truth into Ethiopia? Philip is the chosen vessel to carry the truth to this man as he travels to his home land of Ethiopia in a horse driven royal chariot. Philip is transported somehow into a desert region by God which was on the route the man from Ethiopia is travelling on. Surprised? God knew exactly what He was doing. Isn't He amazing? Wow!! But I wonder if Philip wanted to move from Spring Harvest where it was all happening in Samaria to go to a solitary place. There could have been no bigger contrast. Any objections that Philip might have had are certainly are certainly not expressed in this narrative. You could say Philip had no say in the matter. God simply placed him where he wanted hin to be to serve in the purposes of God. Philip may well have prayed that morning "Lord lead me today to those you want to reach with the gospel. I am willing to go anywhere for you" A complete readiness to go wherever God sends him with this wonderful gospel message! First lesson - BE READY : The Ethiopian is in his horse drawn chariot reading an Old Testament manuscriptfrom Isiaiah53. Philip sees him and hears him reading looking puzzled. Second lesson - BE BRAVE : Philip shows not only he is ready but also BRAVE as he approaches the rich man. Can you imagine it? Two complete strangers meeting and the question asked is "Do you understand what you are reading? Third lesson - BE PREPARED : Philip is PREPARED to teach the man the way to God through Jesus. He wants the man to understand the glorious message of salvation through Jesus. He KNOWS THE SCRIPTURES in order to explain the passage the man is reading from. Philip was chosen to show the man what he needed to see and the man was resding a passage the Lord knew he would be reading to prepare him for his meeting with Philip. God is truly sovereign in all the affairs of the nations and of course here in this desert place. Isaiah 53 is clearly understood by Philip and he goes through this great chapter in our Bibles explaining that the Messiah spoken of here is Jesus. My friends I do not know how well you know this chapter in Isaiah but it is a great chapter of prophecy concerning Jesus and yet his name is not mentioned here. But if "you have eyes to see" when you look in the gospels and see their fulfilment recorded 800 years before Christ the Messiah came into the world It is astounding. Be assured, God's Word is absolutely true and can be trusted without question. So as you witness for Jesus use the tool He used and was so effective with.

Joy's Prayer

Dear loving heavenly Father! We worship you for your greatness. You are all seeing, all knowing, all powerful. We are so thankful for that knowledge. You are so powerful that you take such an interest in each one of us in our individual lives. Your strength is always so welcome as we feel so inadequate for many tasks, but we are so thankful that you have said, that by your Spirit you will empower us to do all we need to do including sharing our faith in Jesus. Please help us to be effective witnesses and may we see the fruit from our labours and glorify You in Heaven! In Jesus' Name, Amen

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Thursday Ponderings

16th February 2012

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G’day and welcome to Pauline's Thursday Ponderings! If you're a Christian - forgiving others is not an option.   Matthew 6:14-15 "If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly father will forgive you but if you do not forgive men their sins, your heavenly father will not forgive you ." God takes the necessity of forgiving of others very seriously. Notice it does NOT say forgive others if they are sorry for hurting you, or forgive others if you can understand why they behaved in that way. We are to forgive everyone who has wronged us full stop. Peter, who may have been having a problem with one of the other disciples, asked Jesus ' Lord how many times do I have to forgive my brother if he keeps on wronging me?, in Matthew 18:21. "Jesus answered 'Seventy times seven!'" This means that we have to go on forgiving someone who hurts us again and again; no matter how many times they hurt us. Please note that Jesus did not say that if we are in an abusive relationship we have to stay in it and keep on being abused.  In Mark 12:31 Jesus said we should love our neighbour as we love ourselves - that means we have a responsibility to love ourselves, which means removing ourselves from relationships in which others are abusive towards us. Forgiving someone means not telling others what they did to us so we can get sympathy. It means doing good things for them, praying for them blessing them. Matt 5:44 says love your enemies and pray for your persecutors. Luke 6:35 "Love your enemies, do good to them" and Romans 12:20 commands "If your enemy is hungry feed him." If someone has hurt you so badly that you find you self replaying what they did in your mind. Try thinking of something kind that the person has done for you, every time their misdemeanour pops into your thinking. If that is not possible then just actively think about something completely different. It will get to the point that you can think of the person without thinking of what they did, though this can take years. Actually, like every other thing that God asks us to do, forgiving others is in our best interests. Being angry with someone else just hurts us - it doesn't affect them. Not forgiving leads to bitterness and resentment which eats away at us from within and can lead to physical symptoms as well. So forgiving others should be a priority   if you're a Christian.

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Thursday Ponderings

2nd February 2012

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G’day and welcome to Pauline's Thursday Ponderings! There are many things we should do if we love God. One of those things is to spend time getting to know Him, and one of the ways we can achieve this is to read His Word, the Bible. James 1:22-25 - Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror  and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it-not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it-they will be blessed in what they do. That's a pretty good promise to be blessed in all you do, but you can't do what the word says if you don't know what it says or understand it. Philippians 2:14-16 - Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, "children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation." Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. Again you can't hold firmly to the word of life which is God's word written in the Bible unless you know it. Ephesians 6 talks about putting on the armour of God to protect ourselves in  the spiritual battle, which we all find ourselves involved. Part of the armour of God and a very important part is mentioned in v17. Ephesians 6:17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Again if you don 't know the word of God it is very difficult to quote it at when you need to.  I find quoting scripture out loud when I am anxious or fearful very helpful, no matter what the situation. Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." The other day I was chatting to a Jehovah's Witness who was door knocking. She mentioned that often she talks to Christians who go to church regularly but don't know their bibles.  That made me so sad and I want to encourage you to read your bible more and not only read it but understand it. There are many study aids out there at many different levels to help you, if you can't afford to buy one I'm sure your vicar or pastor would be happy to lend you one of theirs.

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Evard - There is none like you

There Is None Like You

Evard, Beatrice and team

G'day and welcome to Partakers! Today, I introduce to you Evard, Beatrice and the team from Uganda, with this short music video. Evard and Beatrice live in Mbarara, Uganda. Evard is an evangelist, and with his wife, Beatrice, plus their worship band, travel to remote places in West Uganda sharing the good news about Jesus Christ. “It’s true! There is none like Jesus Christ!  In all situations He is there to encourage and strengthen us. Friends can forsake you, but He will never forsake you! Be blessed as you worship Him together with me.” Evard You can find out more about Evard by clicking here and proceeding to the Seeds2Sow website.

You can download the mp4 video file of this to share, by clicking here