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G’day and welcome to Partakers Christian Podcasts! Join us for uplifting Bible teaching, inspiring readings, heartfelt worship, powerful prayers, and fascinating church history. Whether you’re new to faith or growing deeper in your journey, we’re here to encourage and equip you. 🎧 Tune in, interact, and be inspired—wherever you are in the world.
Episodes
Saturday Oct 03, 2015
Saturday Oct 03, 2015
Gems in the Gospel of John
Part 6 - John 1:16–18 - The great gift of Jesus
Part 6 - John 1:16–18 - The great gift of Jesus
These verses say: ‘Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.’
Great stuff, but what does it mean. The problem is that ‘grace’ is, in English anyway, a very difficult word to pin down. My dictionary lists 17 different meanings for it ranging from the way a good dancer moves, to a prayer before a meal and the way one is supposed to address an archbishop or a duke!
However one of the meanings is ‘the free and unmerited favor of God shown to a human being’ and that is a reasonably good starting point for what it means in the Bible. The (different) words being translated in both Old and New Testaments both relate to what happens when a big guy helps a little guy through the goodness of his heart not expecting anything in return. So the gift given can be asked for, received without commitment, and even withdrawn but it cannot be demanded or bought. The giver may be honoured, thanked and even given a token thanksgiving in response but there is no possibility of buying or earning the favour.
All of which means, of course, that no one English word can convey all that is implied in the word ‘grace’. Different English versions have used ‘kindness’, ‘generous bounty’, even ‘love’ to try and get round the problem, but none of them are really satisfactory and we must stay with ‘free and unmerited favour’ clumsy though that is.
The new NIV has ‘grace in place of grace already given’, while other versions have ‘grace upon grace’, ‘grace after grace’, ‘one blessing after another’ or ‘grace for grace’. If from that you think that no one is quite sure what it means you might be right! One commentator says it ‘underscores the superabundance of the gifts available to the believer through the incarnate word’ and I think that is about right and says it all.
The problem is – what is the grace already given? The next verse makes it sound as though John is thinking about the grace given in Old Testament days, which the grace of Jesus now replaces, but I prefer to think of this more on a personal level. For each believer there is the grace given in conversion, when they turn, or rather are turned, from a life without Christ to one with him, their conversion, when they are born again. But we need to remember, and John here reminds us, that there is still more to come. The Lord does not leave any one of his people to struggle on alone. We will receive more grace, more generosity, more free gifts, more unmerited favour from him, through all the rest of our lives.
This is grace, rich grace, for each one of us. Who gets this grace, this richness, this incomparable gift? There is one little two letter word in this verse. ‘we’, ‘WE’ are the recipients of these good gifts from the Lord of Creation.
Sometimes it does not feel like it - things can go wrong. People can turn against us; we can struggle with illness and weakness, with things going wrong with our bodies or our minds. But whatever our current disaster or problem may be God is still our Father! Jesus is still at his side in heaven.
In the wonderful words of Isaiah 43: ‘When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;’
He will be with us – He is with us! That is grace, super-abundant grace, and it is ours if we are His.
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Friday Oct 02, 2015
Friday Oct 02, 2015
Partakers Friday Prayers!
2nd October 2015!
A prayer of John Wesley (1703 - 1791)
O God, seeing as there is in Christ Jesus
an infinite fullness of all that we can want or desire;
May we all receive from him, grace upon grace;
grace to pardon our sins, and subdue our iniquities;
to justify our persons and to sanctify our souls;
and to complete that holy change, that renewal of our hearts;
Which will enable us to be transformed
into the blessed image in which you created us.
O make us all acceptable to be partakers
of the inheritance of your saints in light.
Amen.
O God, seeing as there is in Christ Jesus
an infinite fullness of all that we can want or desire;
May we all receive from him, grace upon grace;
grace to pardon our sins, and subdue our iniquities;
to justify our persons and to sanctify our souls;
and to complete that holy change, that renewal of our hearts;
Which will enable us to be transformed
into the blessed image in which you created us.
O make us all acceptable to be partakers
of the inheritance of your saints in light.
Amen.
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Monday Sep 28, 2015
Monday Sep 28, 2015
28th September 2015
Deceivers or Receivers
2 Tim.3:7, "Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."
Approaching two young ladies and two young men who belonged to a certain religious cult (I knew this as I had met the two men previously. They were now resting from their door to door visitation at a local coffee house I go to regularly.. I had felt deep concern for them for some while and feeling compassion for them after prayer really felt pressed to ask them a particular question . This question along with its answer had been on my mind and heart all morning and I knew I was meant to use it in my work as an evangelist with someone who God would place in my path that day.
Approaching two young ladies and two young men who belonged to a certain religious cult (I knew this as I had met the two men previously. They were now resting from their door to door visitation at a local coffee house I go to regularly.. I had felt deep concern for them for some while and feeling compassion for them after prayer really felt pressed to ask them a particular question . This question along with its answer had been on my mind and heart all morning and I knew I was meant to use it in my work as an evangelist with someone who God would place in my path that day.
Now it seemed God had led me deliberately to these particular four people. God is sovereign and never makes a mistake. So I began. “May I ask you a question. I am unsure as to what your organisation would teach you to say to someone you came across who had little time to live.
For instance, If you as Bible Believer's were visiting a very sick man who had been told by his doctors he might die at any time what would be the most important, most wonderful, encouraging, news in the Bible you could share with him? Say, he only had ten minutes to live, what would be the most important truth from the Bible you must share with him.?”
I admit I was desiring most assuredly to share the gospel message to all four young people before me, who I believed were blinded by their teachers and presented with false teaching concerning our Lord Jesus Christ. So I considered this was a good way to go about it. With this particular cult they are hungry for questions put to them as they believe they alone have the answers to life and death and love to impart knowledge to those of us who are lacking it in their opinion. They just love to be the teacher.
So I was pretending I was not as knowledgeable as they were. So how did I get on, you ask? One of the men said “I would tell him it was important for him to address God as Jehovah.” I encouraged the speaker by saying “good point”. But added “But was this the most urgent news he needed to hear? Is there a scripture which helps us in that situation? What was the vital information this man needed to hear in order for this man if he was about to die if he was to be assured of a safe arrival in Heaven?
Surely with eternity at stake this man needed to be able to hear the answer to this very important question. One of the young men said “Well he hasn't time to be taught the way to eternal life in the new earth so he would miss out” The truth is they didn't know so I gently asked if I might quote a scripture which I considered would be a brilliant illustration to help the dying man. This they readily agreed to.
I took them to Acts 16 and the question asked by a very frightened Philippian jailer whose life was about to be taken from him by those who employed him if his prisoners escaped. You see an earthquake had recently taken place causing the doors of the cells to come off their hinges and they were flung open wide allowing the prisoners to flee.
So what question was asked by this Jailer as he fell trembling on his knees before Paul and Silas who had been his prisoners “Sirs what must I do to be saved?” Paul instead of running for his life answered with the most wonderful news he could have given to anyone in need of knowing the way to heaven. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.”
The young ladies who had been listening intently were very impressed by this illustration from the Bible and said ”Yes surely that is great news , the best” However they didn't know that it would be upsetting to the young men who were their teachers that morning. Guys who were teaching them what their cult taught that Jesus is not the Son of God. Yet the Bible addresses Jesus as The Lord Jesus Christ. A term for God.
Well, very little else was said after that but I had placed Scripture in their minds and Hebrews 4:12; informs us how important that was. I only hoped that later they may have looked up Acts 16:31; in its context, and saw how that man was gloriously saved through the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ as well as his family who on hearing from Paul the gospel, made a quick response and became followers of Jesus Christ and were made ready for heaven.
There are none so blind as those who do not want to see. Blinded and none so deaf to Jesus words. These peoples minds were closed to the great gospel truth and needed their eyes and ears opened by God. There are many people who follow teachers who lead them away from the Bible. They teach them only to use the scriptures to their own movements advancement. They are are on a slippery slope 'the blind leading the blind” and need to be taught a better way and be brought to a true understanding of scripture which will then place their feet on a sure foundation, secure as an anchor in Christ our Saviour.
If you have been taught the better way (see John 14:6) be thankful and be ready to share with others as opportunities fall your way. Remember when you do so to use the “Sword of the Spirit,which is The Word of God” (Hebrews 4:12;)
Joy's Prayer
Dear loving Heavenly Father,
How thankful we are that you have put good Bible teachers on this earth and placed them in our way to show us the Truth concerning the way to Heaven. Help us to be discerning as to what is The Truth and to study God's Word to show ourselves approved by God and to always read the Bible in context as we know a word not in context is a pretext.
Many fall into error because of false teachers. If we are to come to a knowledge of the truth we have to take special care to listen to evangelical teachers who believe all of the Bible and rely on The Holy Spirit to speak through them . We know there are some cults which do not even believe The Holy Spirit is a Person sent by You to help us to discern and steer clear of such teachers. Show us clearly which churches are truly biblical and those which are not. Thank you Lord for hearing our prayers In Jesus name.
Amen.
How thankful we are that you have put good Bible teachers on this earth and placed them in our way to show us the Truth concerning the way to Heaven. Help us to be discerning as to what is The Truth and to study God's Word to show ourselves approved by God and to always read the Bible in context as we know a word not in context is a pretext.
Many fall into error because of false teachers. If we are to come to a knowledge of the truth we have to take special care to listen to evangelical teachers who believe all of the Bible and rely on The Holy Spirit to speak through them . We know there are some cults which do not even believe The Holy Spirit is a Person sent by You to help us to discern and steer clear of such teachers. Show us clearly which churches are truly biblical and those which are not. Thank you Lord for hearing our prayers In Jesus name.
Amen.
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Saturday Sep 26, 2015
Saturday Sep 26, 2015
Gems in the Gospel of John
Part 5 - John 1:6–8, 15, 19-28 - John was not Jesus
Part 5 - John 1:6–8, 15, 19-28 - John was not Jesus
The other John, John the Baptist as we call him, though he is never called that in this Gospel, flits in and out of this chapter. Reading John 1: 6 – 8 and then 15 and 19 – 28.
First in the prologue, the introduction to the Gospel we read ‘There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.’ This introduces John as that most important person, a true witness giving testimony to Jesus.
Those words ‘witness’ and ‘testimony’ are just about the same in the original Greek, both coming from the word ‘martyr’. John is important in his role as the first and most prominent witness to Jesus. He gets more space than Jesus does in the history of the time written by a guy called Josephus, probably because he acted much more like an Old Testament prophet than did Jesus and so was more easily understood by the Jews of those days.
He is a good reminder to us that we too should be good witnesses to Jesus. As Peter said, ‘Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect’.
Second: later in the chapter we read that ‘(John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.“)’ and then there are several verses explaining how John testified. ‘Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”
They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord. ’”
Now the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
“I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”
All of which is a sharp reminder that when we witness we should not do it to increase our own self-image to ourselves or to the Lord, but purely for the sake of our Savior Jesus. Such a caution is probably unnecessary if we are witnessing privately to one or two other people, but if we are up on a platform, or behind a microphone, then we may well fall into the trap of glorying in what we are doing. John did not do that.
The people sent down from Jerusalem were fairly sure he was someone very important: the Messiah, Elijah come to life again, or the promised prophet like Moses. No – says John. ‘I am just a voice in the wilderness preparing the way for a much more important person who is to come. Not even slaves were expected to take people’s sandals off but John was prepared to do even that for the one who was to come. You can’t get much lower, more humble than that. And that is the way we should be. Oof!
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Monday Sep 21, 2015
Monday Sep 21, 2015
21st September 2015
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. Men and women around the globe have died rather than recant words from this book explaining Who Jesus is. It contains the very words of God spoken to 40 writers over 1600 years and today speaks still as loud to billions upon billions who pick it up and begin to realise what a treasure is contained here. The very Creator of the Universe, the Maker of sun moon and stars speaks to us from this very book. The Bible is also described as quick and powerful, pure and unadulterated, strengthening and stimulating, It is above all books and is a world's best seller.It has been translated into many different languages and is still being translated into the language of tribes who need to hear God's Truth today. Above all information in this amazing Book is the incredible story of God the Creator of the vast Universe. It is made out of nothing. Even more incredible it tells the story of man falling out with His Maker and the story of how God reconciled the world to Himself through His Son Jesus Christ.
It explains the way man is to live his life in every detail and the source of His needs to be met and the very purpose of his being here on earth. In fact no stone is left unturned in explaining all we need to know in this world into which God our Creator has placed us concerning our lives and our future.
My friend, if this book is so wonderful and is so helpful why is it that it is often pushed to one side in so many homes? Why are so many Bibles finding their way into charity shops and even being thrown away? Because the enemy of our souls Satan does not want us to find the way to God and Heaven. He wants us to be uninformed how to live out our lives . He wants us to despair rather than find the answers to our many questions. Do you remember the words I read at the beginning? Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, practice it to be holy.
We need to get to know the author and ask His help as we look into its many pages of wisdom. We need to set up a daily plan for reading it and digesting its contents. We need to realize how unsafe this world is for us without the knowledge of The Holy and the vital need of His Presence with us every step of our earthly journey to our final destiny. We need to take time to be holy and spend much time with His Word.
We live in a world of darkness and need the Light of Gods Word to show us the way ahead. We need to know how insufficient we are and our need of direction and and redirection when we have the left the straight path and wandered off. Practice it to be holy. To be like Jesus we need to have a soaking of God's Word into our lives daily, to be washed by the pure water of God's Word and to be filled anew with His Spirit Who explain the Scriptures to us. May we all find some more time to spend in this wonderful Book and delight ourselves in it. If not it will be to our cost and will affect our destiny.
Joy's Prayer
Dear Lord and Heavenly Father, Teach us to revere the Bible more than we do. To have it by our side, ready to be referred to rather than hidden away out of our sight only to be brought out next Sunday to take to church with us like an ornament. It is our daily manna so please give us an appetite for it to even a craving for it when we miss a days reading. Imprint upon our minds to read it to be wise, believe it to be safe and practice it to be holy.Sorry, if we have neglected it, especially if we have been afraid to look into its pages in case it made us feel guilty of sins we have committed. Lord may we be an open book before you ready to be spoken to by You and ready to readjust our lives when shown the error of our ways. If downcast lift us up through its many pages of encouragements where your people have been in similar circumstances and needed to be strengthened by you. Lord we love the psalms, may we read and see ourselves there with David and others who faced difficult times and discover how they found their peace and rest in You. Lord we do love you and thank you for the Bible .May we treasure it for ever. In Jesus Name Amen
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Saturday Sep 19, 2015
Saturday Sep 19, 2015
Gems in the Gospel of John
Part 4 - John 1:14 - Jesus is amongst us
Part 4 - John 1:14 - Jesus is amongst us
John 1:14‘The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.’
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.’
How can John possibly talk in one and the same breath about flesh and glory in relation to God the Word? Answer - because of the Incarnation – as we call it. My dictionary says incarnation is: the assuming of a human body by the Son of God; the presence of God on earth in the person of Jesus.
Can you imagine yourself taking on the form of an ant and going to live in a vast woodland anthill? That is something like an equivalent of what Jesus did in leaving heaven and coming to live on this earth of ours; not in a big palace or grand house either, with all the nice luxuries that the fortunate folk of the world have these days, but to a working man’s small house in an occupied country long before all the things that we think make life comfortable existed.
In our excitement over the great sacrifice Jesus made for us on the Cross and the way in which his Resurrection makes us sure that all he said and did was true we may forget the importance of the Incarnation that made those things possible. John did not forget the importance of this; indeed he emphasizes it much more than any of the other three Gospel writers as we shall see as we work through what he wrote.
John starts with ‘the Word was God’. He has now said ‘the Word became flesh’. What a wonderful contrast that is.
This is, in many ways, a rather awkward passage. It is often, and rightly, read in church at Christmastime – but it doesn’t quite fit! In many churches the children do a Christmas pageant. Two senior ones are Joseph and Mary with a doll as Jesus. Three older ones are the three wise men, suitably dressed in turbans and robes. Several are shepherds with walking sticks as shepherds crooks. The youngest and smallest children are sheep in woolly clothes. There may even be a donkey somewhere. All very nice and picturesque but where is the scene for the ‘WORD was with God’? Missing. It doesn’t fit.
Yet it is the most important passage in any Gospel on the subject of the Incarnation. God became man.
That is so important. Behind all the fuss and glitz of Christmas: big meals, parties, family get-togethers, presents, commercialization and so on we must never forget the real thing. Many must think - if God has come down to earth we cannot be such a bad lot after all. Wrong! This Gospel is full of judgment and the need to follow Jesus.
One writer lets his imagination fly to get an image of what Jesus did. He points out that almost all the Western films in which someone rescues a town from the bad guys have the good guy, the hero, riding in from outside the town. He is greeted with ‘who are you stranger?’ So it is with our Saviour Jesus. He rides in to our rescue from outside the town, outside the human world. He is the good guy. He is the hero. We must love, honour and worship him. Particularly at Christmas.
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Friday Sep 18, 2015
Friday Sep 18, 2015
Partakers Friday Prayers!
18th September 2015!
We pray together and when Christians pray together, including across the internet and from different times, different nations, different churches and different denominations - that reveals Church unity!
Behold, Lord,
I am an empty vessel that needs to be filled.
My Lord, fill it.
I am weak in the faith;
strengthen me.
I am cold in love;
warm me and make me fervent,
that my love may go out to my neighbour.
I do not have a strong and firm faith;
at times I doubt and am unable to trust you altogether.
O Lord, help me.
Strengthen my faith and trust in you.
In you I have sealed the treasure of all I have.
I am poor;
you are rich and came to be merciful to the poor.
I am a sinner; you are upright.
With me, there is an abundance of sin;
in you is the fullness of righteousness.
Therefore I will will remain with you,
of whom I can receive,
but to whom I may not give.
Amen
(A prayer of Martin Luther)
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Monday Sep 14, 2015
Monday Sep 14, 2015
14th September 2015
One key subject that repeatedly rings out clear and plain in the Bible is 'reconciliation'. What is the meaning of the word? Reconciliation is the re-establishing of cordial relations. So, the obvious conclusion drawn is that people are estranged from someone and need to be brought back together.
When Adam and Eve were tempted or tested in the garden of Eden they were doing so as the representatives of mankind. What would man do when tempted by the devil?
It was a dramatic occasion when Eve and then Adam were tested to see if they would obey the one rule God had given to them. The price of failure had already been spelt out clearly to them "the soul that sins will die" (Genesis 2:17;) They both failed the test and we read in the book of Romans that consequently death came not only upon them but upon all mankind from that day to this. This was the result of this failure to obey. (Romans 5:12)
Man was out of step with the Lord and needed to be changed. They had been distanced from God through their disobedience and needed to be reconciled to God . They needed to be really sorry for their misdeeds in order to receive the gift of forgiveness from God and that was still a long way off until the coming of Jesus to whom all the sacrifices pointed., Meanwhile though their sacrifices of animals birds etc they showed their need to repent and believe in the coming Reconciler. That was the purpose of Jesus Christ's coming to reconcile us to God. (Romans 5:10;) Sin makes the righteous God angry. Sinners become God's enemies. Jesus through his death restored this relationship between us as sinners and God by His grace. The Greek word 'katallasso' means "put into friendship with" Reconciliation comes through God's initiative. Man, on his own would never be able to return to that relationship without God opening up the way through His Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ . (John 14:6)
Meanwhile God overlooked their wrongs as they offered their sacrifices.Reconciliation and forgiveness could only to be obtained by The Reconciler Jesus Christ. Adam and Eve's act of disobedience broke their sweet communion with God. He had come down and met with them daily in the cool of the evening to fellowship with them. But one day when he came they were not at their usual meeting point. They were in fact hiding from God( Genesis 3). They were conscious of their guilt and were ashamed. Thankfully God took the initiative so that the solution to theirs as well as ours, is spoken of here in the very same chapter. Genesis (3:9-10) What a moment?
The God of all history in the early days of His creation.
When we come to the New Testament and Luke 15 and the parable of the prodigal son we see a beautiful picture of a loving father and his wayward son being reconciled. We can sense the moment when tears flowed, hearts beat faster and arms embraced each other and the word got around "he is home all is well again"
If you are reconciled to God and you are at peace with Him be thankful and praise the Lord for restoring you.
When a woman I had been talking to about her need of our precious Saviour and realised how precious she was to Him and how He had sought her out and given the chance to be back in fellowship with Him she was overwhelmed and saw immediately a vivid picture of the evil devil who had kept her away from Him for 60 years. She saw how she had forgotten God her heavenly Father but He certainly had not forgotten her. The tears flowed and she then rejoiced in her Reconciler, Jesus Christ her Saviour Lord and Friend. Friend you cannot be happy away from God , The sooner you return to Him the sooner you will have peace restored in your heart and joy unspeakable. Why stay outside the door when there is such a warm welcome on the inside.?
When Adam and Eve were tempted or tested in the garden of Eden they were doing so as the representatives of mankind. What would man do when tempted by the devil?
It was a dramatic occasion when Eve and then Adam were tested to see if they would obey the one rule God had given to them. The price of failure had already been spelt out clearly to them "the soul that sins will die" (Genesis 2:17;) They both failed the test and we read in the book of Romans that consequently death came not only upon them but upon all mankind from that day to this. This was the result of this failure to obey. (Romans 5:12)
Man was out of step with the Lord and needed to be changed. They had been distanced from God through their disobedience and needed to be reconciled to God . They needed to be really sorry for their misdeeds in order to receive the gift of forgiveness from God and that was still a long way off until the coming of Jesus to whom all the sacrifices pointed., Meanwhile though their sacrifices of animals birds etc they showed their need to repent and believe in the coming Reconciler. That was the purpose of Jesus Christ's coming to reconcile us to God. (Romans 5:10;) Sin makes the righteous God angry. Sinners become God's enemies. Jesus through his death restored this relationship between us as sinners and God by His grace. The Greek word 'katallasso' means "put into friendship with" Reconciliation comes through God's initiative. Man, on his own would never be able to return to that relationship without God opening up the way through His Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ . (John 14:6)
Meanwhile God overlooked their wrongs as they offered their sacrifices.Reconciliation and forgiveness could only to be obtained by The Reconciler Jesus Christ. Adam and Eve's act of disobedience broke their sweet communion with God. He had come down and met with them daily in the cool of the evening to fellowship with them. But one day when he came they were not at their usual meeting point. They were in fact hiding from God( Genesis 3). They were conscious of their guilt and were ashamed. Thankfully God took the initiative so that the solution to theirs as well as ours, is spoken of here in the very same chapter. Genesis (3:9-10) What a moment?
The God of all history in the early days of His creation.
When we come to the New Testament and Luke 15 and the parable of the prodigal son we see a beautiful picture of a loving father and his wayward son being reconciled. We can sense the moment when tears flowed, hearts beat faster and arms embraced each other and the word got around "he is home all is well again"
If you are reconciled to God and you are at peace with Him be thankful and praise the Lord for restoring you.
When a woman I had been talking to about her need of our precious Saviour and realised how precious she was to Him and how He had sought her out and given the chance to be back in fellowship with Him she was overwhelmed and saw immediately a vivid picture of the evil devil who had kept her away from Him for 60 years. She saw how she had forgotten God her heavenly Father but He certainly had not forgotten her. The tears flowed and she then rejoiced in her Reconciler, Jesus Christ her Saviour Lord and Friend. Friend you cannot be happy away from God , The sooner you return to Him the sooner you will have peace restored in your heart and joy unspeakable. Why stay outside the door when there is such a warm welcome on the inside.?
Joy's Prayer
Dear Lord and Loving Heavenly Father,
How thankful I am that you set up your wonderful recovery programme to restore us almost as soon as the first person decided to disobey and leave your company. Such amazing love, its difficult to take it in.
I love you Lord for your very deep interest in me and the fact that you love me with an undeserving love, but also an eternal love which never fades.
An 'agape' love which is prepared to forgive me time and time again when I fall. Oh!, dear Lord strengthen me in those areas where I mess up and help me conquer my failings and serve you more faithfully and love you more earnestly. Thank You that I can talk to you at any time as I cast my care on You. Hold me close please and never let me go
In Jesus name
Amen
How thankful I am that you set up your wonderful recovery programme to restore us almost as soon as the first person decided to disobey and leave your company. Such amazing love, its difficult to take it in.
I love you Lord for your very deep interest in me and the fact that you love me with an undeserving love, but also an eternal love which never fades.
An 'agape' love which is prepared to forgive me time and time again when I fall. Oh!, dear Lord strengthen me in those areas where I mess up and help me conquer my failings and serve you more faithfully and love you more earnestly. Thank You that I can talk to you at any time as I cast my care on You. Hold me close please and never let me go
In Jesus name
Amen
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Sunday Sep 13, 2015
Sunday Sep 13, 2015
13th September 2015
What say you?
John 8:2-11
At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered round him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’
‘No one, sir,’ she said.
‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’
The Ash Wednesday reading for this year is from John 8:7… What is interesting about this passage is that it didn’t actually make it into the Bible until the 3rd century. It is unlike the usual way that the rest of this gospel is written – ignoring the pro and epilogues, we will cover those another time, but if you get the chance do have a look at the ending of John’s Gospel…all three of them! It is thought that the copyist who inserted it here was possibly trying to illustrate Jesus saying that he will pass judgement on no-one later in the chapter, in verse 15.
Anyway, Jesus had returned from the Mount of Olives, and is being harassed yet again by the Pharisees. They have bought a woman to him who they claimed had been caught committing adultery (nothing is ever said about the man with whom the alleged crime took place you’ll notice!) This married woman knows there is very high chance of being killed by the then common practice of stoning under the guise of the Law of Moses, as written in Deuteronomy 22. The Pharisees tell Jesus this has to be the outcome, and are trying to test him, again. They want him to either go against the word of Moses, and as a teacher of the Jewish faith of course he could not, or they want him to go against the authority of Rome, as Roman law had deprived the Jews of their rights to stone people to death – they thought they had him!
The gospel says, When they persisted in questioning him, he straightened up and told them, "Let the person among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." In the same situation now, knowing what we do, as the woman, you would be petrified! It is a wonderful thing to say, and it should be said more nowadays if you ask me – ok then, the one of you who is without sin and has NEVER done anything wrong can judge… that would make people stop and think before acting in certain ways! Of course, there WAS someone there who was without sin – Jesus – and he and only he had every right to cast that first stone…and we can only imagine the carnage that would have occurred after that.
What would have happened if one of the Pharisees had cottoned on to this, picked up a stone, handed it to Jesus and said ,’here you go then…’ But they didn’t. Thankfully. Because they understood not a jot of whose company there were truly in. There is a wonderful part when Jesus seems to simply ignore them, and starts to write on the ground with his finger. We’re not told what or really why., and there are many, many schools of thought about this, but in Jeremiah 17:13 in some translations it is written, ‘Those who turn away from you shall be written in the earth for they have forsaken the Lord’ …but in the Pharisees’ trying to get Jesus on the back foot and make a mistake, his calm demeanour must have had them all hopping from foot to foot in madness – how funny! So, Christ neither found fault with the law, nor excused the woman's guilt; nor did he tolerate the pretended zeal of the Pharisees.
People are actually self-condemned who judge others, and yet do the same thing. All who are any way called to blame the faults of others, are especially concerned to look to themselves, and keep themselves and their lives in order. In this situation, Jesus did precisely what he came into the world to do, and that was, to bring sinners to repentance; not to destroy, but to save. He aimed to bring, not only the accused to repentance, by showing her his mercy, but the prosecutors also, by showing them their sins; they thought to ensnare him, he sought to convince and convert them. Check mate to Jesus! AND he declined to meddle with the magistrate's office. Many crimes merit far more severe punishment than they meet with; but that isn’t for us to concern ourselves with. When Christ sent the woman away, it was with this caution, Go, and sin no more. If you help to save the life of a criminal, you must also help to save their soul with the same care. They are truly happy, whom Christ does not condemn.
And as we moan that our lives could be so much better, they could, remember, be so much worse. When I think about when Jesus was writing in the dust the following Lenten poem by George Herbert springs to mind…
Lord, who hast form’d me out of mud,
And hast redeem’d me through thy blood,
And sanctifi’d me to do good;
Purge all my sins done heretofore:
For I confess my heavy score,
And I will strive to sin no more.
Enrich my heart, mouth, hands in me,
With faith, with hope, with charity;
That I may run, rise, rest with thee.
May God bless and keep us all safe,
healthy and though able to cast a stone
be always unwilling to do so.
Christ's favour to us
in the forgiveness of past sins
should prevail with us,
So, Go then,
and sin no more. Amen
At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered round him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’
‘No one, sir,’ she said.
‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’
The Ash Wednesday reading for this year is from John 8:7… What is interesting about this passage is that it didn’t actually make it into the Bible until the 3rd century. It is unlike the usual way that the rest of this gospel is written – ignoring the pro and epilogues, we will cover those another time, but if you get the chance do have a look at the ending of John’s Gospel…all three of them! It is thought that the copyist who inserted it here was possibly trying to illustrate Jesus saying that he will pass judgement on no-one later in the chapter, in verse 15.
Anyway, Jesus had returned from the Mount of Olives, and is being harassed yet again by the Pharisees. They have bought a woman to him who they claimed had been caught committing adultery (nothing is ever said about the man with whom the alleged crime took place you’ll notice!) This married woman knows there is very high chance of being killed by the then common practice of stoning under the guise of the Law of Moses, as written in Deuteronomy 22. The Pharisees tell Jesus this has to be the outcome, and are trying to test him, again. They want him to either go against the word of Moses, and as a teacher of the Jewish faith of course he could not, or they want him to go against the authority of Rome, as Roman law had deprived the Jews of their rights to stone people to death – they thought they had him!
The gospel says, When they persisted in questioning him, he straightened up and told them, "Let the person among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." In the same situation now, knowing what we do, as the woman, you would be petrified! It is a wonderful thing to say, and it should be said more nowadays if you ask me – ok then, the one of you who is without sin and has NEVER done anything wrong can judge… that would make people stop and think before acting in certain ways! Of course, there WAS someone there who was without sin – Jesus – and he and only he had every right to cast that first stone…and we can only imagine the carnage that would have occurred after that.
What would have happened if one of the Pharisees had cottoned on to this, picked up a stone, handed it to Jesus and said ,’here you go then…’ But they didn’t. Thankfully. Because they understood not a jot of whose company there were truly in. There is a wonderful part when Jesus seems to simply ignore them, and starts to write on the ground with his finger. We’re not told what or really why., and there are many, many schools of thought about this, but in Jeremiah 17:13 in some translations it is written, ‘Those who turn away from you shall be written in the earth for they have forsaken the Lord’ …but in the Pharisees’ trying to get Jesus on the back foot and make a mistake, his calm demeanour must have had them all hopping from foot to foot in madness – how funny! So, Christ neither found fault with the law, nor excused the woman's guilt; nor did he tolerate the pretended zeal of the Pharisees.
People are actually self-condemned who judge others, and yet do the same thing. All who are any way called to blame the faults of others, are especially concerned to look to themselves, and keep themselves and their lives in order. In this situation, Jesus did precisely what he came into the world to do, and that was, to bring sinners to repentance; not to destroy, but to save. He aimed to bring, not only the accused to repentance, by showing her his mercy, but the prosecutors also, by showing them their sins; they thought to ensnare him, he sought to convince and convert them. Check mate to Jesus! AND he declined to meddle with the magistrate's office. Many crimes merit far more severe punishment than they meet with; but that isn’t for us to concern ourselves with. When Christ sent the woman away, it was with this caution, Go, and sin no more. If you help to save the life of a criminal, you must also help to save their soul with the same care. They are truly happy, whom Christ does not condemn.
And as we moan that our lives could be so much better, they could, remember, be so much worse. When I think about when Jesus was writing in the dust the following Lenten poem by George Herbert springs to mind…
Lord, who hast form’d me out of mud,
And hast redeem’d me through thy blood,
And sanctifi’d me to do good;
Purge all my sins done heretofore:
For I confess my heavy score,
And I will strive to sin no more.
Enrich my heart, mouth, hands in me,
With faith, with hope, with charity;
That I may run, rise, rest with thee.
May God bless and keep us all safe,
healthy and though able to cast a stone
be always unwilling to do so.
Christ's favour to us
in the forgiveness of past sins
should prevail with us,
So, Go then,
and sin no more. Amen
Right Mouse click to 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!
Saturday Sep 12, 2015
Saturday Sep 12, 2015
Gems in the Gospel of John
Part 3 - John 1:14 - Jesus is amongst us
Part 3 - John 1:14 - Jesus is amongst us
John 1: 9 – 14 ‘The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.’
Let’s start at the end. ‘The Word made his dwelling among us.’ More literally that reads ‘He pitched his tent among us’ or ‘he pitched his tabernacle among us’. This is clearly a reference to what we read in Numbers 2: 1, 2 where it says ‘The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: “The Israelites are to camp around the tent of meeting some distance from it, each of them under their standard and holding the banners of their family.’
Can you imagine the scene? Out there in the wilderness, on a level plain, the Israelites were to form a huge square, perhaps about a kilometre across, three tribes on each side, tent after tent, stretching away into the land on each side, their banners and flags fluttering in the wind. People sitting in the entrances to the tents; children playing all around. And in the very middle of the otherwise empty square a tabernacle, that is a sort of quite small hut made of curtains draped over a wooden frame.
This was where God very particularly was – right in the middle of his people. Why? So that Moses could go to the tent and speak to God face to face and all the people could watch as Moses went over to the tent. We can imagine them sitting in careful rows just the right distance from the central tabernacle. Except for the children who, whatever their fathers and mothers did to try and restrain them, would keep breaking the line as they ran around and got nearer to God than they were supposed to be.
And this is where God is now – right in the middle of his people. No longer in a physically visible sense as it was then, but with us just as really. We might even stretch the picture and compare ourselves to those children who ran in and out amongst the tents and the banners. If we go back to what John said before we find ourselves described as the children of God. The people of God no longer draw up in square formation in one place but in the mercy of God are now scattered over many places, many nations, many continents.
If your mental picture of the Numbers picture was like mine you will have thought of many children racing around between the different tribal encampments, full of fun and joy as young children always are (provided circumstances allow them to be like that). Now we are to be like that – children rejoicing in living, full of fun and excitement. Getting close to God, because Jesus has been close to human beings as he walked on this earth.
He may be invisible, where the tabernacle was very visible, but our Jesus is with us. He is the true light that was coming into the world. The world did not recognize him when he was there in front of them hanging on a Cross because they were looking for the wrong sort of person to be the light of the world. It is our joy that because we have Scripture, and particularly the New Testament, we do know what to look for and we have seen and recognized him.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.’
Let’s start at the end. ‘The Word made his dwelling among us.’ More literally that reads ‘He pitched his tent among us’ or ‘he pitched his tabernacle among us’. This is clearly a reference to what we read in Numbers 2: 1, 2 where it says ‘The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: “The Israelites are to camp around the tent of meeting some distance from it, each of them under their standard and holding the banners of their family.’
Can you imagine the scene? Out there in the wilderness, on a level plain, the Israelites were to form a huge square, perhaps about a kilometre across, three tribes on each side, tent after tent, stretching away into the land on each side, their banners and flags fluttering in the wind. People sitting in the entrances to the tents; children playing all around. And in the very middle of the otherwise empty square a tabernacle, that is a sort of quite small hut made of curtains draped over a wooden frame.
This was where God very particularly was – right in the middle of his people. Why? So that Moses could go to the tent and speak to God face to face and all the people could watch as Moses went over to the tent. We can imagine them sitting in careful rows just the right distance from the central tabernacle. Except for the children who, whatever their fathers and mothers did to try and restrain them, would keep breaking the line as they ran around and got nearer to God than they were supposed to be.
And this is where God is now – right in the middle of his people. No longer in a physically visible sense as it was then, but with us just as really. We might even stretch the picture and compare ourselves to those children who ran in and out amongst the tents and the banners. If we go back to what John said before we find ourselves described as the children of God. The people of God no longer draw up in square formation in one place but in the mercy of God are now scattered over many places, many nations, many continents.
If your mental picture of the Numbers picture was like mine you will have thought of many children racing around between the different tribal encampments, full of fun and joy as young children always are (provided circumstances allow them to be like that). Now we are to be like that – children rejoicing in living, full of fun and excitement. Getting close to God, because Jesus has been close to human beings as he walked on this earth.
He may be invisible, where the tabernacle was very visible, but our Jesus is with us. He is the true light that was coming into the world. The world did not recognize him when he was there in front of them hanging on a Cross because they were looking for the wrong sort of person to be the light of the world. It is our joy that because we have Scripture, and particularly the New Testament, we do know what to look for and we have seen and recognized him.
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!