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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
Wednesday Jul 02, 2014
Wednesday Jul 02, 2014
God Loves You 05
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“For God so
loved the world, that He gave is one and only Son, so that who ever
believed in Him would have everlasting life.” John 3:16.
Today we have Jessie and Evie! Be amazed! See and hear how they tell you that God loves you! A good reminder for the Christian and a beckoning call for those yet to be a Christian!
God loves you. God is beckoning you to love Him in return. He wants you to be in
relationship with Him. Nothing you can do will make Him love you more than He
already does. If you are not in relationship with God already, now is the time!
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Monday Jun 30, 2014
Monday Jun 30, 2014
Think Spot 30 June 2014
The apostle John writes in 1 John 3:16-18 "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth."
He continues in 1 John 4:15-16 "If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them."
Listen to and/or download the mp3 file below to hear this short podcast to help you into this new week!
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Monday Jun 23, 2014
Monday Jun 23, 2014
Think Spot 23 June 2014
G’day and welcome to Partakers Think Spot on Monday 23rd June 2014.
Listen to and/or download the mp3 file below to hear this short podcast to help you into this new week!
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Friday Jun 20, 2014
Friday Jun 20, 2014
~Partakers Friday Prayers!
20th June 2014
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!
without beginning or end,
who is the giver, preserver,
and rewarder of all virtue…
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Grant me to stand firm
on the solid foundation of faith,
be protected by the invincible shield of hope,
and be adorned by the nuptial garment of charity.
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Grant me by justice to obey you,
by prudence to resist the crafts of the Devil,
by temperance to hold to moderation,
by fortitude to bear adversity with patience.
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Grant that the goods I have
I may share liberally with those who have not,
and the goods which I do not have
I may seek with humility from those who have.
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Grant that I may truly recognise the guilt of the evil I have done,
and bear with equanimity the punishments I have deserved;
that I may never lust after the goods of my neighbour,
but always give thanks to you for all thy good gifts.
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Plant in me, O Lord, all thy virtues,
that in divine matters I might be devout,
in human affairs wise,
and in the proper needs of the flesh
onerous to no one.
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And grant that I may never rush to do things hastily,
nor balk to do things demanding,
so that I neither yearn for things too soon,
nor desert things before they are finished.
Amen
A prayer of Thomas Aquinas
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iTunes
Monday Jun 16, 2014
Monday Jun 16, 2014
Think Spot 16 June 2014
G’day and welcome to Partakers Think Spot on Monday 16th June 2014.
This week I ask 3 questions to help you to continue serving God in every aspect of your life – this week and beyond - online and offline!
Listen to and/or download the mp3 file below to hear this short podcast to help you into this new week!
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Monday Jun 09, 2014
Monday Jun 09, 2014
Think Spot 9 June 2014
Today to help you into the new week, we hear about London, painted nails, high heels, Jehovah Witnesses, Muslims and the Gospel! Listen to the Podcast to find out how they fit together!
Listen to and/or download the mp3 file to hear this short podcast to help you into this new week!
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Sunday Jun 08, 2014
Sunday Jun 08, 2014
8th June 2014
Pentecost – Acts 2
Today we are celebrating Pentecost, which is also known as the Feast of Weeks. The Bible records Pentecost in Acts 2:1-13. It marks the day when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles, and they were accused of being drunk as they all started to speak in different languages. It comes 10 days after the Ascension of Christ and is also known as the birthday of the Church. It fulfils Jesus’ promise to send the ‘counsellor’ and ‘spirit of truth’ that we hear in John 16:5 & 15. It launches the large scale spreading of the Gospel after His ascension.
Jews also celebrate Pentecost, but for them, it is to observe God giving the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai 50 days after the Exodus. SO the Jewish Pentecost (which in Greek means simply the fiftieth day) takes place 50 days after Passover. The Pentecostal movement derives its name from the New Testament event in Acts 2.
In England the day is also known as Whitsun, derived from White Sunday and the following day used to be a bank holiday, Whit Monday and remained a holiday in the UK until 1971 when the movable holiday was replaced with the fixed Spring Bank Holiday in late May.
According to one interpretation, the name derives from the white garments worn by those receiving instruction in relation to the Christian traditions and expecting to be baptised on that Sunday. Now we have baptisms all through the year. Moreover, in England white vestments, rather than the more usual red, were traditional for the day.
But Ok, enough of the history lesson. How is Pentecost relevant to us, today?
It is said that when Peter addressed the crowd, this was the first ‘sermon’ from the new Church. Now, I don’t think necessarily that the apostles had any idea that they were starting a new church, they were desperate to do as Jesus had done, and to teach what he had taught them! They thought they were being mega Jewish!
But let’s hear from Acts 2 and what happened next…
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 " 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' 22 "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25 David said about him: " 'I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, 27 because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.' 29 "Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, " 'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand 35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." ' 36 "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." 37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" 38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call." 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." 41 Those who accepted his message were baptised, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
How’s that for a nice, concise sermon? This is what is happening, this is why, this is what you do now. He wasn’t leaving anything to chance.
There are many, parallels in that reading to other parts of the Bible, but we would be here all day so perhaps we could go over those another time, and if you would like to, just let me know.
It is also a birthday month in this house. Our twins are 12 in ‘fourteen days’ as I was reminded this morning…as if I could forget! They have been writing and re-writing their birthday lists for a few weeks now, which have been interrupted by cries of, ‘hey that’s not fair, you’ve 2 more than me now!’, which is followed by frantic thumbing of the Argos catalogue!
I don’t remember ever writing a birthday list, but I wonder what Jesus would have on his birthday list for the Church? He wouldn’t need to worry about the catering…’water? Check’, ‘loaves? Check’, ‘Fishes? Check!’ I’m sure He wouldn’t ask for anything for himself, he would ask that we, love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength; and then that we love our neighbour as our self. Simple requests really, so why don’t we, as a special gift from our hearts, to God, and the Church, do just that?
For he really is a jolly good fellow, and so say all of us. Have a wonderfully blessed and peaceful week everyone. And remember PRAYER, CARE and SHARE. God loves you!
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Monday Jun 02, 2014
Monday Jun 02, 2014
Think Spot 2 June 2014
Today to help you into the new we look at being radical! How radical? Listen to the Podcast to find out!
Mark 12:28-31: "One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The most important one” answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with your entire mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.""
1 John 4:20 “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.”
Listen to and/or download the mp3 file to hear this challenge to the Church in the 21st century! It will help you into this new week and see your Christ-light shining out!
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Sunday Jun 01, 2014
Sunday Jun 01, 2014
1st June 2014
Mary's Visit to Elizabeth – Luke 1:39-56
Today we celebrate the visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth. In typical Anglican lectionary style, this feast can be observed on July 2nd which this year is a Wednesday, so perhaps they thought it better to make it a Sunday celebration.
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There is a lot happening in the church at the moment. Saint’s Days are upon us daily, and I think in May there are only 9 days where we are not remembering or celebrating the life of someone who, loosely, had nothing, overcame obstacles and adversary, preached and taught with huge fortitude, became loved by all (we’ll come to various hermits at another time!)…and then they seem to die a horrible, sometimes very early, death…for their devotion to God.
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One person who was, by her very action, possibly the most dedicated woman we know. That is Mary, the mother of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. I have recently written a presentation about Mary, her visit from the Angel Gabriel, and what would have happened if Mary had said ‘no’ to him?? But you can hear that closer to the time we celebrate that glorious day!
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But Mary did say yes, and she, as prophesised by Isaiah in 4:7 does conceive a son by the Holy Spirit. Then, she goes to see her cousin, who according to St. Luke, was a cousin of Elizabeth, wife of the priest Zechariah of the priestly division of Abijah, who was herself part of the lineage of Aaron and so of the tribe of Levi….brother to Joseph, he of the multi-coloured coat fame from Genesis 39! Lineage and genealogy in the Bible will certainly keep you on your toes, you just wait until we’re going through it during Advent – it is really fascinating, and puts much of God’s work and how he calls people, and who he calls into a fantastic perspective. I promise you will feel much better about yourself after that! But now back to Mary and Elizabeth.
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Much like the Annunciation, we only read about the Visitation in Luke’s Gospel; and rather frustratingly, the whole New Testament tells little of Mary's early history. Phyllis G. Jestice in Holy people of the world: a cross-cultural encyclopedia, Volume 3. Published in 2004 tells us The 2nd century Gospel of James is the first source to name her parents as Joachim and Anne, there is also talk of a sister named Mary, but she is more likely to be her sister-in-law, the wife of Joseph's brother, Cleophas.
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As names are so important in the Bible, so let us have a quick look at a few we’re talking about here. Elizabeth may mean ‘God’s promise’, or ‘my God is generous’.
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Mary means ‘wise woman’ or ‘lady’. It is a Greek form of the Hebrew Miriam, and was the most popular woman's name at the time. Hence confusion between Mary Magdalen, and other Mary’s throughout the New Testament!
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John means ‘God has been gracious’.
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Zechariah means 'God has remembered'.
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Elizabeth, who was previously thought to be barren, is miraculously pregnant with John the Baptist. We are told that Mary left Nazareth immediately after the Annunciation (when the angel tells her that she is about to do probably the most important job in the history of creation to that point) and went "into the hill country...into a city of Judah" (Luke 1:39) to attend her cousin Elizabeth. There are several possibilities as to exactly which city this was, including Hebron, south of Jerusalem, and Ein Karem. The journey was about 100 miles and would have taken around four days to do. Elizabeth was in her sixth month of pregnancy before Mary turned up and she stayed for about three months. Most scholars hold she stayed for the birth of John, which makes sense when you add 6 and 3 but there are no details about the birth of John. Some believe that the purpose of this visit was to bring divine grace to both Elizabeth and her unborn child. Even though he was still in his mother's womb, John became aware of the presence of his Divine Saviour; he leapt for joy (as indeed Esau and Jacob did in Rebekha’s womb in Genesis 25) as he was cleansed from original sin and filled with divine grace. Elizabeth also responded and recognised the presence of Jesus. So Mary, now for the first time, is able to exercise her function as physical intercessor between God and man. "And she [Elizabeth] spoke out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed [art] thou among women, and blessed [is] the fruit of thy womb. And whence [is] this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed [is] she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord (Luke 1:42–45)." It is also at this point, in response to Elizabeth's remark, that Mary proclaims the Magnificat. Let’s hear it in full…
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46 And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, 48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me-- holy is his name. 50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. 51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. 52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers." 56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
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Is this the first recorded baby shower?
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So, Gabriel had just left her, and the first thing she does is prepare to leave and visit Elizabeth, her cousin. Gabriel had told her Elizabeth was in her sixth month of pregnancy, a testament to the power of God.
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To our modern way of thinking, Mary surely deserved to stay home to rest and take care of herself, now that she herself was expecting. And after all, the angel had said this child would be the holy Son of God! That certainly deserves some pampering and special treatment!
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But I suspect Mary was overjoyed at the news of Elizabeth's pregnancy, and couldn't wait to get there and share the wonder of it all with her. Now the two of them could delight in each other's miracles and bask in the glory of God and all He had done by His power alone. I can easily imagine them hugging and laughing and fussing over each other.
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It's really a simple lesson this mystery teaches - take care of each other. Even when you have good reason for worrying only about yourself, try to find a way to care for someone else also. I'm your neighbour and you're mine. There will be plenty of opportunities for us to care for each other and meet the other's needs. But will we?
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And what about the neighbour we don't particularly like, or the neighbour we just can't stand? There's where it gets sticky! Even then, we are asked to find ways to show love. Love that is hard to give, love that requires a real sacrifice, love that is on-purpose-even-though-I-really-don't-want-to is the truest of all.
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A good place to start is our own families. Love-on-purpose that family member you don't like being around. Love-on-purpose the one who irritates you to no end. Love-on-purpose the relative you have nothing in common with. Love the one who just plain drives you crazy. Do it as unto Jesus, and watch how your heart changes.
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Be happy for the blessings in your family member's lives and celebrate with them. Rejoice in their good fortune without envy, and bear their sorrow with them whenever you can. Pray for them. Bring Christ to your family, as Mary literally brought Christ to Elizabeth's.
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Heavenly father, wondrous SAVIOUR, help me to be generous with my time and talents, and to reach out to my neighbours with the love of Jesus.
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Next week it’s Pentecost. Wear something red, have the bunting at the ready; that is a birthday party you won’t want to miss!
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Friday May 30, 2014
Friday May 30, 2014
Partakers Friday Prayers!
30th May 2014
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!
Order of Prayer Service
Opening Prayer
1 John 1:8-10
Confession
Lord's Prayer
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Prayers for those facing challenging situation
Prayers for those grieving & in despair
Prayers for those imprisoned
Prayers for Churches Worldwide
Prayers for the world
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Time for your own prayers
The Creed
Benediction
Closing Prayer
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