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
Friday Oct 16, 2015
Friday Oct 16, 2015
Partakers Friday Prayers!
16th October 2015
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!
A prayer of Anselm
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.
(Anselm 1033-1109)
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Monday Oct 12, 2015
Monday Oct 12, 2015
12th October 2015
You may well have heard the song 'Love Changes Everything' made famous by Michael Ball several years ago. One of the lines reads Life will never be the same again.
Certainly when a young man meets a girl and like turns to love and from once a week the scene changes and they cannot see enough of each other. In fact t they do not want to be out of each others company and marriage takes place and they become One. Life will never be the same for them ever again.
Likewise when a person realises who Jesus Christ is and what Jesus Christ has done for them they see that in God not only do have they a Saviour but see that a vital part of their life has been missing and God has a plan for their life. Having dealt with their sin problem through atonement and now He wants them to love and serve Him. Again think of the line of that hymn. Life will never be the same.
Isn't it sad that God often has to use shock tactics to get through to us. How many have been brought to that crisis point through a tragedy or some kind of conflict in their life where they have to face up to their need of God. They discover they are now insufficient of themselves. They see that life is not a bowl of cherries (another song title I think) That Life if to be lived with a capital L must have Someone bigger than themselves at the helm. Someone who knows the pathway through. Someone who knows and is indeed the Way, Truth and Life, even Jesus
Recently in the UK we have had an incident in our national game of football where a man suddenly drops to the ground during a match, an important cup tie and those around him suddenly are made aware of a man dying. A young man with a whole life ahead of him in his early twenties not breathing, a cardiac arrest.
Medics and doctors rush on to the pitch, players stand around absolutely shocked and the game of football which had been so very important up to that 41st minute now completely forgotten for here is a matter of life and death.
A Specialist heart Surgeon in the large crowd of spectators rushes down onto the pitch and begins to give directions to the medics and decide which hospital to take the player to. (The fact that he supports the other team has no significance now for here is a much more important matter to be dealt with, A matter of life and death. ) The crowd whoever they supported doesn't matter any more are silenced also shocked what is about to happen? Will he make it to the hospital in time to give special treatment to bring him back ot life? They want the man to live..
We are told later that the young fiancée of the dying man is a believer in God and has said "We must not worry God is in control here."
On the pitch they were thumped the man's chest but could not bring him back to life. He is hurried to a waiting ambulance and soon he is heading for that special hospital. There a team of specialist doctors are already alerted and waiting to get the man's heart working again. Players from both teams are now coming to the hospital. They are so concerned for this young man. Future games are postponed. Life will never be the same for any of those who had taken part in this cup tie nor the same for the spectators either. Those moments will not want to be experienced again. They were very frightening. On national news the whole country were alerted and went to prayer and other countries also. Now people die every day but this was a drama on national view through television and many tears flowed and many many prayers were prayed. But it had to take a tragedy to strike, a crisis to bring people to view a glimpse of eternity. Supposing it were them would they be ready to face God? They had seen it can happen so suddenly. They had seen it can happen to the most unlikely person, a young athletic man., They could see it could happen at any moment!! Death in the midst of life.
My friends do you see Someone has made provision for you to be ready at such a similar time when God says "Now is the hour" Would we be ready?
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whosoever believes on Him should not perish but have the gift of eternal life" John 3:16
Talking to two members of a cult a few days ago I asked the question "Do you love the Lord Jesus Christ?" They looked shocked as I had cut right into their planned speech for the day. A speech to be copied from their leaders. Do you see why we should love Jesus? I enquired further. They were struggling when I said He is The Lord Jesus Christ. He is God. He came in the flesh to suffer bleed and die for you. That is why you should love Him.
Come back to that Football Stadium in London. Picture the scene again. This time see the invisible angels standing by in support. See the Lord Himself drawing near. Feel the atmosphere as you look into the crowds faces. There is fear and other mixed emotions. Tears are unashamedly shed. If they could look into their own hearts at that moment would there have been faith there to be seen, a confidence that if anything similar happened to them, would they feel safe and comforted in the knowledge they were going to a beautiful secure place in heaven?
Love changes everything as you look much closer at Jesus Christ and see what great things He has done for you. Don't let a tragedy have to strike suddenly for you to make the wise decision to receive Christ the Saviour into your hearts. Now is the day of Salvation do not lets yours catch you unaware. Time may not be on your side . Make your decision now. Get right with God and be sure of your allotted place in eternity labelled for you at present. May God draw you to Himself
Joys Prayer
Dear Loving Heavenly Father
We have been made aware that life can change so suddenly. We can fall in love suddenly, but we can be suddenly in a crisis which is not so pleasant as someone suffers and is about to die. It could be a close family member or a work colleague or a church friend or a neighbour. In the midst of life there is death. Lord make us fully conscious of the way paved for us so that we have no need to fear the consequences after death.
Lord Jesus Christ You loved us enough to die for each one of us that we may be saved from our sins and receive a home in heaven and the gift of eternal life and joy. If we are unsure or blinded by other things of no consequence help us Lord to see the straight path ending in glory. We can waste so much time chasing our tails so help us to deliberately seek after You Lord and to follow You unwaveringly and relentlessly keeping our minds and hearts focussed on Jesus our Saviour Lord and King. Help us to be shining lights for You in a dark world and a place where materialism has a stronghold. Help us to proclaim Him Who is altogether lovely and full of mercy 'and grace.
In Jesus Name
Amen
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Saturday Oct 10, 2015
Saturday Oct 10, 2015
Part 7 - John 1:18
Unseen – but known
What does God look like? We don’t know as this verse tells us very directly when it says: “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.” But that almost certainly won’t have stopped us from having some sort of mental image of God and of Jesus. The trouble is we are probably completely wrong!
I remember as a young boy seeing pictures of God or of Jesus on the walls of the room we had our Sunday School lessons in. God was always a very old, but big strong looking, man. Jesus was always a very good-looking young man with broad shoulders, blond hair and a small beard. He was usually surrounded by animals and children and had a lamb in his arms. You can tell from which part of the world I come from.
I want to share with you the moment when my mental picture of Jesus was turned upside-down. We were in Pakistan, near the bottom of a steep mountain path, when a Pakistani man went by. He was a medium small lithe fellow moving up hill with the easy grace of a mountain man. He wasn’t blonde; he wasn’t big; he wasn’t European. His clothes could have been cleaner, being covered with the dust of much walking. I suddenly realized that is what Jesus must have looked like.
Isaiah said (53: 2, 3), “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.”
Clearly there was something markedly different about Jesus: he was able to confront an angry crowd and walk away through it unharmed. He was strikingly different.
What is your image of Jesus like? Of course, it wont be accurate, but that does not matter. If you are American he will be American; if you are Pakistani he will look Pakistani; if you are Chinese he will definitely look Chinese; and so on. It does not matter how accurate you are. Jesus was everyone; he still is.
And, of course, I have swerved sideways from talking about what God is like to talking about what Jesus was like. That is deliberate. The most we know about God is Jesus. It is all too easy to have a mental picture of God in which he is basically a wrathful God full of judgement and reserve the idea of a concerned, gracious and loving person for Jesus. But that is not the way it is. Our God is the God of Love as well as of Judgement.
And so we come to the end of the Prologue, the Introduction, to John’s Gospel. We have come all the way from the Word who was with God to Jesus and the Father. God with us as Matthew says – Emmanuel.
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Monday Oct 05, 2015
Monday Oct 05, 2015
5th October 2015
You may well have heard the song 'Love Changes Everything' made famous by Michael Ball several years ago. One of the lines reads Life will never be the same again.
Certainly when a young man meets a girl and like turns to love and from once a week the scene changes and they cannot see enough of each other. In fact t they do not want to be out of each others company and marriage takes place and they become One. Life will never be the same for them ever again.
Likewise when a person realises who Jesus Christ is and what Jesus Christ has done for them they see that in God not only do have they a Saviour but see that a vital part of their life has been missing and God has a plan for their life. Having dealt with their sin problem through atonement and now He wants them to love and serve Him. Again think of the line of that hymn. Life will never be the same.
Isn't it sad that God often has to use shock tactics to get through to us. How many have been brought to that crisis point through a tragedy or some kind of conflict in their life where they have to face up to their need of God. They discover they are now insufficient of themselves. They see that life is not a bowl of cherries (another song title I think) That Life if to be lived with a capital L must have Someone bigger than themselves at the helm. Someone who knows the pathway through. Someone who knows and is indeed the Way, Truth and Life, even Jesus
Recently in the UK we have had an incident in our national game of football where a man suddenly drops to the ground during a match, an important cup tie and those around him suddenly are made aware of a man dying. A young man with a whole life ahead of him in his early twenties not breathing, a cardiac arrest.
Medics and doctors rush on to the pitch, players stand around absolutely shocked and the game of football which had been so very important up to that 41st minute now completely forgotten for here is a matter of life and death.
A Specialist heart Surgeon in the large crowd of spectators rushes down onto the pitch and begins to give directions to the medics and decide which hospital to take the player to. (The fact that he supports the other team has no significance now for here is a much more important matter to be dealt with, A matter of life and death. ) The crowd whoever they supported doesnt matter any more are silenced also shocked what is about to happen? Will he make it to the hospital in time to give special treatment to bring him back ot life? They want the man to live..
We are told later that the young fiancee of the dying man is a believer in God and has said "We must not worry God is in control here."
On the pitch they were thumped the man's chest but could not bring him back to life. He is hurried to a waiting ambulance and soon he is heading for that special hospital. There a team of specialist doctors are already alerted and waiting to get the man's heart working again. Players from both teams are now coming to the hospital. They are so concerned for this young man. Future games are postponed. Life will never be the same for any of those who had taken part in this cup tie nor the same for the spectators either. Those moments will not want to be experienced again. They were very frightening. On national news the whole country were elerted and went to prayer and other countries also. Now people die every day but this was a drama on national view through television and many tears flowed and many many prayers were prayed. But it had to take a tragedy to strike, a crisis to bring people to view a glimpse of eternity. Supposing it were them would they be ready to face God? They had seen it can happen so suddenly. They had seen it can happen to the most unlikely person, a young athletic man., They could see it could happen at any moment!! Deat5h in the midst of life.
My friends do you see Someone has made provision for you to be ready at such a similar time when God says "Now is the hour" Would we be ready?
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whosoever believes on Him should not perish but have the gift of eternal life" John 3:16;
Talking to two members of a cult a few days ago I asked the question "Do you love the Lord Jesus Christ?" They looked shocked as I had cut right into their planned speech for the day. A speech to be copied from their leaders. Do you see why we should love Jesus? I enquired further. They were struggling when I said He is The Lord Jesus Christ. He is God. He came in the flesh to suffer bleed and die for you. That is why you should love Him.
Come back to that Football Stadium in London. Picture the scene again. This time see the invisible angels standing by in support. See the Lord Himself drawing near. Feel the atmosphere as you look into the crowds faces. There is fear and other mixed emotions. Tears are unashamedly shed. If they could look into their own hearts at that moment would there have been faith there to be seen, a confidence that if anything similar happened to them, would they feel safe and comforted in the knowledge they were going to a beautiful secure place in heaven?
Love changes everything as you look much closer at Jesus Christ and see what great rthings He has done for you. Dont let a tragedy have to strike suddenly for you to make the wise decision to receive Christ the Saviour into your hearts. Now is the day of Salvation do not lets yours catch you unawares. Time may not be on your side . Make your decision now. Get right with God and be sure of your allotted place in eternity labelled for you at present. May God draw you to Himself
Joys Prayer
Dear Loving Heavenly Father
We have been made aware that life can change so suddenly. We can fall in love suddenly, but we can be suddenly in a crisis which is not so pleasant as someone suffers and is about to die. It could be a close family member or a work colleague or a church friend or a neighbour. In the midst of life there is death. Lord make us fully conscious of the way paved for us so that we have no need to fear the consequences after death.
Lord Jesus Christ You loved us enough to die for each one of us that we may be saved from our sins and receive a home in heaven and the gift of eternal life and joy. If we are unsure or blinded by other things of no consequence help us Lord to see the straight path ending in glory. We can waste so much time chasing our tails so help us to deliberately seek after You Lord and to follow You unwaveringly and relentlessly keeping our minds and hearts focussed on Jesus our Saviour Lord and King. Help us to be shining lights for You in a dark world and a place where materialism has a stronghold. Help us to proclaim Him Who is altogether lovely and full of mercy 'and grace.
In Jesus Name
Amen
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Saturday Oct 03, 2015
Saturday Oct 03, 2015
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!
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
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
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
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
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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