Partakers Christian Podcasts

Think Spot 10 July 2017

Think Spot

10 July 2017

 

We now enter a new week! Last Monday we thought about trusting God in all circumstances! One of the natural outcomes of trusting God is joy - often an unspeakable joy that bubbles within you! A joy resulting from overcoming all that life throws at you, and overcoming those hurdles! It involves taking a daily commitment to follow Jesus Christ and not just a one off. It takes commitment, not comfort, to throw off hindrances and barriers. True joy results from being willing to allow the Holy Spirit to work in you, transforming you into the image of Jesus Christ, to the praise and glory of God the Father.

All of these things being done daily in your life lead to what I am convinced is the key to the reality of a successful Christian life - that key being joy. As you grow closer to Jesus, living in peace, trust and obedience, then your spiritual life will be your natural life and your natural life be your spiritual life! Your joy will abound and shine a light giving people a reason to ask "Where do you get all your joyous hope from?". You will then be able to· share Jesus as your source of joy. A joy that is anticipatory, expectant and true! Joy comes from putting Jesus first, others next and then yourself! Go practise it this week!

You can show this joy by singing, laughing, smiling, shouting praises to God, lifting hands in worship', and crying, but that is only the external part of joy. True joy also incorporates an internal joy. Real joy is when you can believe in: the mountain top when you are in your deepest valley. Abundant joy is being surrounded by darkness and still believing in 'the light'. Anticipatory joy is when amidst total confusion you still believe God has a plan of love for you. It was this type of joy that Jesus had, when in the garden praying, the night before he was betrayed, when full of mixed emotions and anguish he said "Not my will, but yours, Father!"

As sons and daughters of God, we have many reasons to be full of joy. Yet how often we forget! Here are some reasons for joy!

• Psalm 51:8 & 12 - Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me-now let me rejoice. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.
• Jeremiah 15:16 - When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven's Armies.
• Luke 15:8-10 "Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won't she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbours and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God's angels when even one sinner repents."
• 1 Peter 1:8-9 - You love Jesus Christ even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.

Do you desire to be' overflowing with joy today and this week? Go into this week with a joy that is anticipating and expectant! Do you need to hand over to Jesus a particular area of your life' where Jesus does not fully reign and have control? I pray that the Father will reveal more of Himself to you, as you daily seek His face, overcoming all hindrances to living a successful and joyful-Christian life. May the Holy Spirit who lives within you, if you are a Christian, continue to transform you into the image of the Son Jesus Christ, and all to the praise and glory of God the Father. Amen.

 

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Gems in the Letter of 1 John - Part 104

Gems in the Letter of 1 John

Part 104 - 1 John 2:7-8
Keeping the new commandment

What is your memory like? I hope it is better than mine, which is not improving either, but that is because of old age!
John is very anxious that neither the folk he was writing to and talking to, nor us 2000 years later, should forget one very important thing. So he says, ‘Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.’ in 2: 7,8. What is he referring to? It is not hard to see that his back reference is to John 15: 12, where we read, ‘My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.’

At first sight there seems to be something strange here. Why did Jesus seem to suggest that their love should be extended to their brothers and sisters in the faith and not, it would seem, to anyone else. We can work this out by considering the different levels of difficulty in loving (that is placing someone else’s needs and requirements above our own). Consider the levels of difficulty we face in loving others from least to greatest like this:

1. Jesus - who wouldn’t love him? He places no burdens upon us and lifts many from us.
2. Family members - well most of the time and not perhaps including the more awkward ones who will need perhaps to go into category 5.
3. Nice fellow believers - these are our closest friends, they share our general outlook on life and we have a great affinity with them.
4. Nice people generally - many people, neighbours, colleagues at work and friends are very nice and easy to get on with.
5. Difficult believers - unfortunately they do exist. Perhaps life or illness or age has made them difficult.
6. Difficult people generally - as with the last category, only more so because there is no basic affinity with them, which make getting on with them more difficult.
7. Our enemies - oh dear. Did you really have to tell us to love them, Jesus (I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Matt 5: 44). We do wish you hadn’t!

Both John and Jesus knew very well that this commandment is not at all easy for most people. So they were not expecting every one to go straight to number 7 - much better to start at the beginning and ask people to love those in categories 1, 2 and 3. Then it would not be too difficult to tackle 4 and 5. 6 should follow on from that and then 7 would be possible only after that.
Of course, the obvious thing I am going to do next is to ask where you are in this sequence. Where are you?
As we move through the categories our attitudes will inevitably change, real affection will, or should, colour our approach to 1, 2 and 3. After that it is more a matter of treating people as if they were in those easier categories even when they are not. Take the really difficult guy at work. How do you treat him? Are you the first to greet him in the morning although you know you will only get a grunt or a growl in exchange? If you do it long enough you may be surprised that eventually his resistance will begin to crumble and he will become a much nicer person, to you anyway.
There is much to think of here. We so easily skip over commands of Jesus like this one, ‘loving people’, as if they are not there. But they are and we are meant to obey them!

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Friday Prayers 7 July 2017

~Partakers Friday Prayers!

7 July 2017

We pray together and when Christians pray together, from different nations, different churches and different denominations - that reveals Church unity! Come! Let us pray together!

 

O Almighty and all-knowing God,
without beginning or end,
who is the giver, preserver,
and rewarder of all virtue…
~~~~~
Grant me to stand firm
on the solid foundation of faith,
be protected by the invincible shield of hope,
and be adorned by the nuptial garment of charity.
~~~~~
Grant me by justice to obey you,
by prudence to resist the crafts of the Devil,
by temperance to hold to moderation,
by fortitude to bear adversity with patience.
~~~~~
Grant that the goods I have
I may share liberally with those who have not,
and the goods which I do not have
I may seek with humility from those who have.
~~~~~
Grant that I may truly recognise the guilt of the evil I have done,
and bear with equanimity the punishments I have deserved;
that I may never lust after the goods of my neighbour,
but always give thanks to you for all thy good gifts.
~~~~~
Plant in me, O Lord, all thy virtues,
that in divine matters I might be devout,
in human affairs wise,
and in the proper needs of the flesh
onerous to no one.
~~~~~
And grant that I may never rush to do things hastily,
nor balk to do things demanding,
so that I neither yearn for things too soon,
nor desert things before they are finished.

Amen

A prayer of Thomas Aquinas

 

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Think Spot 3 July 2017

Think Spot 3 July 2017

G’day and welcome to Partakers and our Monday Think Spot! We have the start of a new week! Its Monday! I don’t know how your weekend went, but I had a weekend that I want to forget quickly! It could be said that I did not have a peaceful weekend dealing with situations that arose unexpectedly. I am at peace now but was not at the time! I had this little voice inside me repeatedly saying “Trust me… Be at peace with yourself.” The Holy Spirit was ministering to me amidst the turmoil despite my often not wanting to hear that!

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Matthew 5:9 records Jesus speaking these words “God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.”

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All over the world, the majority of people share a common desire for peace! But what is peace? The peace the world wants varies from the peace which we as Christian know to be true. The world sees peace as the absence of conflict and people being generally ‘nice’ to one another. Peace in the Christian context goes further, saying peace is perfect harmony with God, perfect harmony with other people, with circumstances and with self. While we are to aim for peace in all those areas, perfect peace in all those areas will not come until Jesus Christ comes again, and takes Christians to be with Him.

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However, that doesn't give us as Christians a mandate to sit around not doing what we can for peace. Unsurprisingly the Bible has a lot to say about peace! Jesus commanded us to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9) because our God is a God of peace (1 Thessalonians 5:23), and the Kingdom of God to which we belong is about peace in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). Peace is to be our business! In a world full of peaceless-turmoil, such as conflicts between nations, conflicts between neighbours, conflicts even within families and conflicts within and between churches, Christians are to be peacemakers!

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If you are a Christian, you have peace with God because Jesus Christ is your peace between God and yourself (Ephesians 2:13-18)! More than that, we are to be at peace with others! Now this can be hard! We are commanded to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9, James 3:17-18), living at peace with everyone (Romans 12:17-20) and do everything possible which leads to peace and mutual encouragement (Romans 14:13-19).

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And even more! We are to remain at peace when confronted with peace-less circumstances and events! We are to seek peace in these events which is a gift of God (John 14:27, 2 Thessalonians3:16)! Whereas worldly peace requires manipulation of circumstances, God's peace comes regardless of circumstances! When faced with circumstances, events and troubled times, we are to grasp hold of the peace of God that surpasses all human understanding! This inevitably leads you to have an untroubled, unfearful heart and mind(John 16:33)! WOW!

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Go in peace this Monday, into this week, knowing that the God of peace lives inside you if you are one of His children! Go dispense this peace as God’s peacemaker where you go! You can be the peacemaker in your place of work, where you live, where you visit, where you socialize and even where you shop or play sport! If you are struggling to be a peacemaker in a difficult circumstance then ask this Holy Spirit who lives inside you to help you! He will help you if you ask! If you would not consider yourself a Christian and at peace with God, then ask Him to help you become one!

 

Father, we pray that this week we will do all we can as your followers to be peacemakers, to do all we can for peace and to make peace where ever we go and make a difference in world in conflict. We ask this through the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit who lives inside all those who have peace with you. Amen!

 

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Gems in the Letter of 1 John - Part 103

Gems in the Letter of 1 John

Part 103 - 1 John 2:6
Walking with Jesus

After those two very striking verses at the start of chapter 2 there are several much less striking ones out of which it is hard to say there is a gem of any sort. But the totality of what is being said is very important so we need to choose one to carry the burden of what is being said. Let that be 2: 6 which, in the NIV, reads, ‘Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.’ However, I much prefer the translation of the NRSV which is “whoever says, ‘I abide in him’ ought to walk just as he walked.”
There are two reasons for that preference and if I explain them we shall see most of the force of what is being said.

First: the word ‘abide’ is much stronger than ‘live in’ although they mean the same thing. A dog can live in a kennel; a cat can live in an outhouse; but we would never say of either a dog or a cat that it abided anywhere. The word abide is reserved for human beings. We can abide, in a house or a tent, or a particular state of being. To abide has a sense of permanence about it. All these things add up to make saying we can ‘abide in him’ a stronger, more powerful, statement about something more lasting than saying we ‘live in him’.

Second: to ‘live as Jesus did’ is not as powerful an expression as is ‘walking as he walked’. You can live in one room and go nowhere, if you want to or are handicapped. ‘Living’ has no necessary suggestion of motion about it. But if you walk you go somewhere. You are moving; you are progressing, and that is what John is talking about here. You cannot become a Christian and stay in one place; you must move as he moved. You must progress as he progressed. You must walk as he walked – and with him. There is an unfortunate line of teaching in some quarters that seems to suggest that if you are ‘born again’ that is it. You can now sit back knowing that your place in heaven is assured. You need do no more - indeed to suggest you need to do anything else is to deny the strength of the great gift the Lord has given you; it is to deny the full efficacy of grace, and that is heresy. In one sense it is. It is not necessary to add anything to the gift of God. Jesus said to the man dying beside him on a cross, ‘today you will be with me in paradise’. That man could clearly add absolutely nothing to the gift he had just been given. But Jesus talked about his disciples keeping his commands and that it was necessary to do so if they wanted to stay in his love. So John 15: 10 says, ‘If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.’

The first and always necessary step is to receive the gift of new life which is God’s gracious gift to those who commit themselves to following him, because only then can the Holy Spirit be given and the first steps taken in the true life of faith. And what a magnificent life that is! Sometimes the steps will be difficult; so difficult perhaps that we slip backwards, and have to take the same step more than once. But they are still hugely worthwhile.

We went walking this morning. We greatly enjoyed the steps we took even through the mud and the occasional light shower of rain. I hope you are enjoying the walk that you are taking hand-in-hand with Jesus. It is there for you and for your enjoyment. Not that there may not be considerably worse ‘mud’ on your way than anything we encountered. He will be with you through it. The previous verses say that love for God is made complete if we keep his commands. We will come across what that means before long and many times in the rest of this epistle. We just note here that surely there can be nothing richer, more satisfying, than that.

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Friday Prayers 30 June 2017

Partakers Friday Prayers!

We pray together and when Christians pray together, from different nations, different churches and different denominations - that reveals Church unity! Come! Let us pray together!

Lord, because you have made me,
I owe you the whole of my love;
because you have redeemed me, I owe you the whole of myself;
because you have promised so much, I owe you my whole being.
Moreover, I owe you as much more love than myself as you are greater than I,
for whom you gave yourself and to whom you promised yourself.

I pray you, Lord,
make me taste by love what I taste by knowledge;
let me know by love what I know by understanding.
I owe you more than my whole self,
but I have no more,
and by myself I cannot render the whole of it to you.
Draw me to you, Lord, in the fullness of your love.
I am wholly yours by creation;
make me all yours, too, in love.
Amen

(A prayer of Anselm 1033-1109)

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Think Spot 26 June 2017

Think Spot 26 June 2017

 

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things." Philippians 4:8

Isn’t it great to be a believer? Or maybe yesterday’s meetings at Church were not much of an inspiration to you as you begin a new week? You just didn't get much from the services yesterday. You listened but other thought you allowed to crowd in. Concerns for certain family members, friends or neighbours. So you have not started the week with gusto. Even your morning quiet time today didn’t go well. Your prayer life hit rock bottom. Your prayers, you thought didn’t get any higher than the ceiling. You had to not only drag yourself out of bed but also through your devotions. "Is this what the Christian life is all about?" you ask yourself. Am I not meant to be a joyful triumphant Christian?

Our minds are fertile ground and must be guarded and guided. They are open to all kinds of infiltrations and our part is to guard our minds and put useful good healthy thoughts in. The key is to ask ourselves the question "What would Jesus have me do?" "What can I do for His Kingdom and name sake?" "Is there someone today I could meet up with and encourage? Someone to offer financial help to? Someone who needs my sympathy? Someone who needs a car lift to hospital? We need to take our minds off of our own needs and focus on others and their needs.

Minds can soak up all kinds of useless stuff if we let them. Jesus took time to prepare himself for each day. He began with several hours in prayer. Maybe we should see Him as our example as well as reading a good Christian biography, including a commentary on a passage from the Bible each morning and pray it in. If we did we might have a much better day. It’s our relationship with Jesus that will determine our state of mind throughout the day. Think on these things .Have a great day and a great week!

Dear Lord, take care of my mind and do not allow those awful thoughts to continue in my mind. Help me think upon good useful thoughts that are sweet and helpful to building others up which will glorify God. I am sorry for allowing such rubbish to fill my mind. Instead, fill my mind with thoughts such as "How would Jesus think about this situation where I have anger, jealousy or even hatred. The truth is I want to be like You Lord." In Jesus name.
Amen!

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Gems in the Letter of 1 John - Part 102

Gems in the Letter of 1 John

Part 102 - 1 John 2:2
The sacrifice on the Cross

The second of these so important verses says: ‘. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.’

There is, in the original an even more important and difficult word to translate here than we had in the last verse. It is, in the Greek, ‘hilasmos’. The NIV, and also the NRSV, have chosen to translate it as ‘atoning sacrifice’, which is a very neutral choice, as we still have to work out what that means! Other versions are often bolder. Some have ‘propitiation’ (that is: an action which turns aside the wrath of an angry God, NASB, ESV, HCSB). Many have argued that should be ‘expiation’ (that is: an action which deals with a persons sins which are preventing their approach to a holy God). Other less difficult words are used in some other translations: ‘the means by which our sins are forgiven (GNB)’, or ‘ the sacrifice that takes away our sins” (CEV, JB). As if all that is not enough none of these are the basic meaning with which the word is used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament that most of these New Testament writers used. That basic meaning is ‘mercy seat’, referring to the gold covered lid of the covenant box which was placed in the deepest and most holy part of the tabernacle and then of the temple. At either side of the lid were two cherubim who spread their wings over the centre of the seat thus creating a kind of cavity. Moses was specifically told that that was where the Lord would be when he met with him and from where he would be given further instructions as to how he was to proceed. Thus in Exodus 25: 22 we read, ‘There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.’ The great significance of that is that it was then considered to be the place where the Lord God was - in a very special way.

If we then realise that this is the image we are being given of Jesus and his work it is not only about the great sacrifice Jesus had made on the cross but also a clear indication that it was in him that God came to earth and communicated with mankind.

This marvellous verse is telling us that it is in and through Jesus, the advocate with the Father, of the previous verse that we – yes – you and me – have contact with the Father God! In a real way that has to come before and with the work of atonement that Jesus effected through his death on the Cross. It came from the moment Jesus came to earth.

Note that this also explains why John says it was ‘for the whole world’. This is not saying that everyone will be saved but that a new era of human life opened up as Jesus lived and died. From that moment on the ‘mercy seat’ became available for all mankind. Before that only a few very special people, mainly Jews, had had any possibility of approaching and communicating with God. Now the way was open for all peoples, all nations, all races, everyone in the community you live in, your neighbours, YOU and me, to approach and communicate with the Lord God. The only qualification was, and is, active belief and trust in Jesus. Wow!

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Friday Prayers 23 June 2017

Partakers Friday Prayers!

We pray together and when Christians pray together, from different nations, different churches and different denominations - that reveals Church unity! Come! Let us pray together!

Watch, O God,
over those who wake,

or watch, or weep tonight,
and give Your angels

charge over those who sleep.
Tend the sick ones,
Rest the weary ones.
Bless the dying ones.
Soothe the suffering ones.
Pity the afflicted ones.
Shield the joyous ones.
And all, for Your love's sake.

Amen

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Think Spot 19 June 2017

Think Spot 19 June 2017

Here we are Monday again. Are you pleased? Are you ready for a new day at the office, or at college or in the factory or at a desk? You are a Christian right? So what are you thinking as you resume where you left off last week?

Did you pray before you left home? Great for that's the best way to start off. You spent a little time with the Lord in His Word and have sought his leading through the day. That is also commendable. Have you sought protection from the Lord also? Have you realised there is someone who is anxious that you don't triumph in Christ today. That of course is satan. He is someone who wants to safeguard his territory and his prisoners – those who are already under his control.

So look at this day as an exciting day with all kinds of great prospects. If you are walking and talking with God you couldn't be in better company or stronger. He will be your shield and refuge a very present help in time of trouble. He is at your right hand and will be in control as you yield yourself confidently to His direction through the day. Ok a lot of routine stuff but do it as well as you can and cheerfully. But you don't know my boss?

No but God does and he has you there in that place for a reason never doubt. You may not see anything terrific happen today no miracles but you are a light shining for Jesus and will make an impact upon someones day today as you come into contact just your presence in the same room. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify God in Heaven.

Trust in the Lord and be not afraid. Watch your behaviour and enjoy God's presence with you. You are in the centre of his will and its going to be a great Monday. Our confidence is in the Lord.

Psalm 23 reads “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake”

Believe and act upon those words spoken by David and at the end of day you may well be able to also say with him “My cup runs over”

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