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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
Monday May 26, 2014
Monday May 26, 2014
Think Spot 26 May 2014
Philippians 2:4,21 "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ."
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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Friday May 23, 2014
Friday May 23, 2014
Partakers Friday Prayers!
23rd 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
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Prayers for those facing challenging situation
Prayers for those grieving & in despair
Prayers for those imprisoned
Prayers for Churches Worldwide
Prayers for the world
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Time for your own prayers
The Creed
Benediction
Closing Prayer
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
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Monday May 19, 2014
Monday May 19, 2014
Think Spot - 19th May 2014
I wonder what your last week was like! I know for me it was full of trial and yet with a deep-seated trust that God was in control, despite the events and discouragements I was undergoing! Our car had to go in for repair. The water pump had given out again! Aggh! The repairs? Just a little under what we had spare (thanks to generosity of others which had come in that week!) Also I managed to be in severely ill on the Wednesday night through until Saturday.
So, whether it was a week for you to forget or a week for you to remember, we now enter a new week! Throughout Scripture, we are commanded to trust God! One of the natural outcomes of trusting God is joy - often an unspeakable joy that bubbles within you! A joy resulting from overcoming all that life throws at you, and overcoming those hurdles! It involves taking a daily commitment to follow Jesus Christ and not just a one off. It takes commitment, not comfort, to throw off hindrances and barriers. True joy results from being willing to allow the Holy Spirit to work in you, transforming you into the image of Jesus Christ, to the praise and glory of God the Father.
All of these things being done daily in your life lead to what I am convinced is the key to the reality of a successful Christian life - that key being joy. As you grow closer to Jesus, living in peace, trust and obedience, then your spiritual life will be your natural life and your natural life be your spiritual life! Your joy will abound and shine a light giving people a reason to ask "Where do you get all your joyous hope from?". You will then be able to· share Jesus as your source of joy. A joy that is anticipatory, expectant and true! Joy comes from putting Jesus first, others next and then yourself! Go practise it this week! ~~ You can show this joy by singing, laughing, smiling, shouting praises to God, lifting hands in worship', and crying, but that is only the external part of joy. True joy also incorporates an internal joy. Real joy is when you can believe in: the mountain top when you are in your deepest valley. Abundant joy is being surrounded by darkness and still believing in 'the light'. Anticipatory joy is when amidst total confusion you still believe God has a plan of love for you. It was this type of joy that Jesus had, when in the garden praying, the night before he was betrayed, when full of mixed emotions and anguish he said "Not my will, but yours, Father!"
As sons and daughters of God, we have many reasons to be full of joy. Yet how often we forget! Here are some reasons for joy!
- Psalm 51v8 & 12 - Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me-now let me rejoice. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.
- Jeremiah 15:16 - When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven's Armies.
- Luke 15:8-10 "Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won't she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbours and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God's angels when even one sinner repents."
- 1 Peter 1:8-9 - You love Jesus Christ even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.
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Sunday May 18, 2014
Sunday May 18, 2014
The day God came to town!
Ezekiel 1:1-4, 24-28 to 2v2
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Introduction
I wonder if there anybody here that is 25 years old? Anybody turning 25 this year? How about those who wished they were turning 25 this year? Imagine you are a 25 year old and being trained for the family business. Then suddenly your enemies invade your city and take you away to a foreign land. That's what happened to Ezekiel 5 years before this passage of Scripture, when the Babylonians, led by Nebuchadnezzar in 597BC took 3000 Jews back to Babylon. This was the first deportation.1. Ezekiel - who was he and how did he get there?
- His name means "God is strong" ·
- He was training to be a priest
- Now 30 years of age, if he had been in Jerusalem, he would have been ministering in the Temple.
- He was married to the woman who is described as the "delight of his eyes".
2. How does Ezekiel describe this vision of God?
2a. God is Holy 2b. God is Universal- Omnipresent ·
- Omnipotent ·
- Omniscient ·
- God is Mission minded ·
- God is Personal.
3. What is our response in 21st century Britain?
3a. We Evangelize- What is evangelism? ·
- Why evangelize?
Conclusion
When you are faced with a crisis or some trouble, how do you react? Are you like the ancient Israelites that Ezekiel was sent to? Do you trust in the holy, all-powerful, all knowing, personal God or do you trust in other things?- God is coming again! ·
- Be Holy and be obedient!
- Live a life worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
- Trust fully in the God of your salvation
- Go tell somebody!
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Friday May 16, 2014
Friday May 16, 2014
Partakers Friday Prayers!
16th 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
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Prayers for those facing challenging situation
Prayers for those grieving & in despair
Prayers for those imprisoned
Prayers for Churches Worldwide
Prayers for the world
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Time for your own prayers
The Creed
Benediction
Closing Prayer
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
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Monday May 12, 2014
Monday May 12, 2014
Monday Think Spot - 12 May 2014
Go!
We have a new week! Monday
is here! Does Monday, the first day of the week, fill you with dread, banality,
doom or gloom! So many people see it as such, hence the term Monday-it is! But
it doesn’t have to be that way!
It’s a new week! A new opportunity to start afresh with work, home and yourself! Have you prayed today, dedicating your Monday to God? Let the Holy Spirit who is within you, lead you into this Monday and into this week and see what adventures you do together to the praise of God the Father and God the Son! What happened over the weekend? Was it good? Then tell others what happened! Was it a less than good weekend? Tell God about it, hand it over to Him, and then don’t let it spoil this new week!
Go into this week, determined to let your light shine to others – shining about your relationship with God the Father, through Jesus the Son of God in the power of God the Holy Spirit who lives within you! Go be a light for Jesus Christ into this new week. God loves you, so go tell and show others that God loves them too. Go show the God you serve to others – to those inside the Church as an encouragement and those outside the Church as evangelism.. Thank you and have a great week!
May God the Father bless
you!
May Christ the Son take care of you!
May the Holy Ghost enlighten you!
Amen
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Sunday May 11, 2014
Sunday May 11, 2014
11th May 2014
To walk in the light – 1 John 1:5-7
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:5-7
We continue our look at St John’s letters to the churches that he started in order to eradicate the false teachings that had begun in his absence.
Last time we heard that:
- John wrote this letter about Jesus, who is the Word of life
- Jesus came from God to show us real life
- When we believe God’s message, we join God’s family
The command to walk in the light seems on the surface more an act of sensibility than anything theological or biblical. Why would anyone WANT to walk around in darkness? Anywhere? Inside you are very likely to end up with bruised shins, and outside (especially here where there are no streetlamps – as we have no pavements/sidewalks) well, there are ditches, trees and huge cows to walk into, and trust me, they don’t move when a daft human stumbles into them!
I finished the last session saying, ‘In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.’ This is one of my favourite dismissals from the liturgy, and we hear it often, but firstly do we actually hear the words…by then most of us on a Sunday morning are already into ‘what shall I cook for lunch’ or ‘did I wash and dry the kids’ games kit or was that last week?’ mode. But even if we do manage to hang on to those last precious, uncomplicated moments in church before the chaos resumes, what do those words actually mean?? This time, John wants to explain that the light he talks of isn’t necessarily a physical light – although that is a characteristic of God – but the light that drives away fear; light that reveals truth, light that show us where to walk. Next time we will cover sin, but for now let us go back to John’s first letter. He writes, ‘This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.’
1 John 1:5 - God is perfect and people who know God must not do evil deeds.
John did not invent the message. Remember that he says ‘we have seen’ more than once in his writings so what John writes, we can pretty much assume is as a witness and says that he received it from the Lord Jesus. Jesus, we know, taught those who were with him and He showed them how to know God. He then sent them to teach this to other people which is how the apostolic church was started, and in this way, everyone may know God as well. This is the message that John heard from the Lord and that God is light.
God is light by nature, as we learn from the creation story in Genesis. God said ‘let there be light, and there was light, and God saw that the light was good and God divided the light from darkness’. As light shines, so God shows himself. All light comes from God as God created it. John uses the word light to mean all that is good, holy and right. This message shows something about God’s character. God is good. He is always right, and holy. God, who is light, sees all things. We can hide nothing from him. John uses the word darkness to mean evil acts, sin and error. There can be nothing bad in God. He is perfect and he can do nothing wrong. The only Old Testament occurrence of this precise phrase is in Isaiah 2:5, ‘O house of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of the Lord.’ The Psalms contain similar phrases (56:13; 89:15), as does Isaiah (9:2; 50:10-11; 59:9).
Some people may turn from the light. They love darkness more than the light. This is because their actions are evil (this refers to the gospel of John 3:19-21). There can be no darkness in God. Those people who do evil acts cannot share life with God. Those who believe God must live in the light.
1 John 1:6 - People who do evil things do not share God’s life
John now shows how this message should affect our lives. In the next five verses, there are three false things that some people say (verses 6, 8 and 10). After each of these false things, John shows us what the truth is (1:7, 9; 2:1). The effect of what they say is that sin does not affect them. So, it does not matter what we do. They say that they are united with God. But they continue to sin. The Lord Jesus gives a new life to those who believe. This life is from God and only God, through a living relationship with Jesus. This life is unity with God. But there can be no unity between light and darkness.
A person may say that they live with God. But if that person does evil acts, then their words are lies. Their actions are not right. Those actions are darkness not light. That person is like someone who walks in darkness. Darkness and light cannot be in unity. They do not share the life from God. The false teachers said that they walked in the light, but, what they did were works of darkness. They did not do what was right. They did not obey the truth. John believes that the test of truth is not just belief. Truth is not only in what we say. Our belief will affect what we do. We show our belief in God by good and right acts.
Verse 7: God has provided a remedy for our sins
There is a contrast here. The person who does the wrong thing lives in darkness, likewise the person who does the right things lives in light. This is how God wants us to live. He wants us to believe the gospel. And we should live to please him. God is holy. He always does what is right. God is in the light because he created the light and is the light. To live in the light is to be true to God. This is to live in the same manner as God lives.
Real Christians live in the light. They believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. They all share the same life. This unity among Christians shows that they belong to God, united with each other, brothers and sisters adopted by and united with God to be His children and live together. John desires that the readers will come into that same unity.
The word ‘blood’ here is referring to the death of Jesus. The Old Testament says that the life is in the blood. Jesus gave his life for us and by his death, Jesus has taken away our sins. He removes all sin from us. But we must believe in him. Remember that nobody can be perfect while here on earth, but we must all try and do what God asks us to do, and when we do stray or make mistakes, God forgives those who believe, and with Jesus we can get back on the right path. Through the forgiveness that we ask for, Jesus makes sinners clean again. Whenever we say the Lord’s Prayer we are asking for forgiveness for the things we have done wrong. Jesus forgives us NOT so we can go and do the same thing again, but to show us how we can move on without guilt and become closer to God.
God has made the remedy for our sin. By this, he can make us clean from all sins. So, we can keep our unity with him. This remedy is the blood of his Son Jesus Christ.
Some people taught that the human Jesus was not the Son of God. They taught that the human Jesus died. However, they said that God the Son did not die. John makes it plain that Jesus as God the Son did die for our sins.
To ‘walk’ is, in short, to live one’s life. One’s lifestyle or way of life can be considered a ‘walk.’ The word also indicates progress. Walking is related to growth; it is taking steps toward maturity. ‘Light’ in the Bible can be a metaphor for life, happiness, righteousness, or understanding. The Bible is clear that light comes from the Lord God, the ‘Father of the heavenly lights’ (James’ letter in 1:17 tells us this also). God is the opposite of evil. The darkness is the Devil, snuffing out your light and happiness and love – do not let him in…call upon God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit to fill you with light, whenever you feel the darkness creeping in.
So, putting it all together, ‘walking in the light’ means ‘growing in holiness and maturing in the faith as we follow Jesus.’ I leave you this week with my version of a hymn written first in 1558, which is also a wonderful prayer to start the day, or a journey, or even a task with.
God be in this day and in its responsibilities;
God be in my head, and in my understanding;
God be in my eyes, and in my looking;
God be in my ears, and in my listening;
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking;
God be in my heart, and in my loving;
God be in my mind, and in my thinking;
God be in my hands, and in my doing;
God be at mine end, and at my departing. Amen
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Wednesday Apr 30, 2014
Wednesday Apr 30, 2014
WOW Word - Resurrection
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Today Alfie talks about the WOW Word - Resurrection!
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Our WOW Word today is Resurrection! I wonder what you think the word “resurrection” means. Resurrection means more than just coming back to life! Jesus raised at least three people from the dead, but that was more a resuscitation than a resurrection! They came back to life with their normal bodies and they would go on to die a physical death again! So let’s start by looking at Jesus’ resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus Christ provides the central theme for the sermons and teaching in the early church (Acts 1:22; Acts 4:33, Acts 17:18). But what significance is there in Jesus’ resurrection?
1 Corinthians 15v12-19 “Now if Christ is preached, that he has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither has Christ been raised. If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith also is in vain. Yes, we are found false witnesses of God, because we testified about God that he raised up Christ, whom he didn’t raise up, if it is so that the dead are not raised. For if the dead aren’t raised, neither has Christ been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins. Then they also who are fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all people most pitiable.”
Alfie the WOWChurch Cat explains the significance of Jesus' resurrection! Play the video to discover what Alfie has to say and/or download the file to take away! Bless ya!
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Monday Apr 21, 2014
Monday Apr 21, 2014
Easter 2014 – Easter Monday
Responding To The Easter Events
Our response to the events of Easter?
Today is Easter Monday! We have looked at the events of Easter! Jesus dead and buried! Jesus resurrected – raised to new life physically and with a new glorious body! WOW ! Alleluia!! - But so what? What is our response to this to be?
Our first response if we are followers of Jesus is that we are to love. Love not just in words but also in action.. Love God and love others. What kind of love? It is to be a practical, self-less, giving and sacrificial love. 1 John 3:16 states: “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.” Jesus told all his followers to take up their cross if they were to follow Him as His Disciple (Luke 9:23). Are you as a Christian Disciple willing to take up your cross and do all you can do to love others?
There is a price to pay for true followers of Jesus Christ! Followers are surrender completely to Him in all aspects of life! Followers identify with Him in suffering and death and follow Him obediently, wherever He leads. Followers are to take up their own cross in order to show that they are followers of Jesus Christ – the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
The Cross is a choice
The cross is God’s solution to the suffering, evil, troubles and sin of the world. Only by Jesus Christ going to the cross have evil, sin, suffering and satan been dealt mortal blows. The cross provides the victorious solution. The cross is not a symbol to be merely placed around the neck on a chain, to be worn as a lapel pin, or as a item statement of fashion. The cross is not meant to portray Jesus as some form of sadomasochistic ‘tragi-hero’ as some people try to make it out to be. The cross is God’s solution to the problem of evil, sin, suffering and pain, as much as the wise of this world would love to think that it is not.
The cross is a choice. You can choose to deny the cross and say it doesn’t matter. You can say that it is an irrelevance and that is your right. God will not force you to accept the cross and love him. If He did, He would have created Adam so that Adam would automatically love him and not given him free will to rebel. That way the cross would not have been needed. But such is the enormity of the love of God, that each person, including you and I, have a choice to make – follow Jesus and take up your own cross and be an overcomer for Him. God will not force you to accept it, but he will keep on calling you back to the cross. Calling sometimes in quiet ways and at other times, much more loudly. You can deny the cross and its meaning and when Jesus Christ comes again in judgment, you will find that He denies you entrance into His glorious kingdom. When Jesus comes again, everyone will know who He is and bow down to Him. But only those whom He knows, will be granted access into everlasting life.
How you think of the cross, ultimately has relevance to you and affects your reality. You can accept the cross as your personal substitution, personal propitiation and personal redemption. That way you have peace with God. The cross of Jesus Christ thoroughly epitomises God’s glory, and if there were any other way that God the Father could restore people into relationship with Himself, then surely He would have done it that way. But there was no other way – Jesus Christ, as the Son of God who was simultaneously fully God and fully human, died on a Roman cross. He took on the sins of the world, paying the greatest price, so that you can be restored into a peaceful relationship with God the Father. That is for all people, of all nations, ages, generations, statuses and gender. The cross is amazing love in action and is ignored at great peril. Let us go forward in hope and faith, choosing deliberately not to boast in anything else, save only of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. The wisdom of God as exhibited on and in the Cross of Jesus Christ, is foolishness but only to those who don’t accept it.
But it is more than that for the Christian!
Luke 9:23-26 Jesus speaking “Then he said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”
What is our response to this to be? As followers of Jesus Christ we are commanded to count the cost of following Him. That is how we carry our own cross for the sake of Jesus Christ. Jesus wants to be number one in the life of all those who choose to follow him! Jesus wants supremacy over everything in our lives, including family, friends, and possessions! Alas, that’s a cost too high for some! Here is one man who couldn’t give up something to follow Jesus!
Let’s call him Basil. Basil runs up to Jesus! Basil wants eternal life, and he wants it now! So Basil asks Jesus about how to get it. He has fully kept the commandments listed by Jesus. However! However when Jesus said to Basil that in order to follow Him, he would have to give up all his wealth and possessions in order to have treasure in heaven and eternal life, Basil leaves disconsolate and shattered. Basil couldn’t do it!
It was a step too far for Basil. He wanted his riches and also everlasting life, but Jesus said he couldn’t have both. He remains the only person that we know of, who left Jesus’ presence sorrowful. That was due to Basil putting his trust in himself, his riches and wealth alone. Now riches, in and of themselves, are not necessarily wrong! The life of Basil, this rich young ruler, reflected a life of absorption with his own self-interest and self-importance! Basil was not willing to make the sacrifice required to follow Jesus. He couldn’t count the cost of following Jesus– it was too high a price for him to pay!
What have you given up in and as a result of your decision to follow Jesus? Making sacrifices to follow Jesus is all part of the WOW factor of Jesus. Jesus demands that He is number one and supreme over everything else in your life - yourself, family, others and material goods including money and possessions.
How is this done? This is done by consistently ensuring that your works and words match your lifestyle and that no hypocrisy can be found, or indeed will be found. It means standing up for God in the face of adversity. It means loving others even though they hate you. In the UK, we aren’t systematically persecuted. We are marginalized, ridiculed and ignored but some of our Christian family around the world who daily face death simply because they chose to follow Jesus. They are carrying their cross for Jesus!
What about us in the UK? For example if we as Christians were known by our self-sacrificial love of all others, then Jesus whom we claim to love, follow, worship, and adore would be seen. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote "When Jesus Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die. ... Discipleship is not an offer that man makes to Jesus Christ, nor is it hero worship, but intimacy with Christ." (The Cost of Discipleship). Bonnhoeffer knew that as a Christian, a person has to take up their own cross in following Jesus and count the cost of being a disciple of Jesus Christ.
He goes onto say: "Earthly goods are given to be used, not to be collected. ... The Christian disciple must receive his portion from God every day. If he stores it up as a permanent possession, he spoils not only the gift, but himself as well, for he sets his heart on accumulated wealth, and makes it a barrier between himself and God. Where our treasure is, there is our trust, our security, our consolation and our God. Hoarding is idolatry." (The Cost of Discipleship)
Finally, let’s look at 1 John 3:16 “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 others.” Jesus told us to take up our own cross if we are to follow Him as His Disciple. How is that possible? If we try to do that in our own strength and wisdom, we will fail. If we do that using the power and strength of the Holy Spirit within you, then you will succeed at following Jesus’ command. Are you as a Disciple of Jesus Christ willing to take up your? What a difference that would make to the community where you live!
Jesus still meets people today
To those that have responded to Jesus and are following Him, Jesus still meets with them. How does He do this?
Jesus walks with us, wherever we go and in particular in the darkest periods of our life. Just as he did with the two people on the road to Emmaus, he walks with those who proclaim to follow Him (Mark 16:12-13, Luke 24:13-32). Jesus speaks whenever the Bible is faithfully preached and read from, just as He opened the eyes of those on the Emmaus road when He explained the Scriptures (Luke 24:27). Jesus meets us in the Communion or Lord’s Supper, with the bread and wine, which symbolise His flesh and blood as an act of remembrance of what He did for humanity.
Because of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, it show that we as Christians have also risen from the dead! Our old nature is dead and our new nature is alive! In the sacrament of baptism, Christ’s death is symbolised in our going under the water bodily, just as His resurrection is symbolised when we are raised up and out of the water! WOW! Jesus Christ – dead, buried and raised to new life! The Christian – dies to self, buries their old sinful nature and raised to new life in Jesus Christ with a new nature, ready to serve the risen Jesus! WOW!
More than that, His resurrection was not merely coming back to life. Jesus had raised people back to life during his ministry. But those people would go on to die again. Jesus was not like that, because he had new and glorious body! And we too will one day have new bodies! WOW!
If you are not yet a follower of this Jesus, then start following now! You may not have another opportunity to do so! If you don’t know what to do then contact us here at Partakers and we will help you!! Thank you.
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Sunday Apr 20, 2014
Sunday Apr 20, 2014
Easter 2014 – Easter Sunday
Risen and Firstborn from the Dead!
So far in the Easter story, we have seen that Jesus has been crucified and he is dead. He is buried within a sealed and guarded unused tomb. Or is he? Let’s look at what the historical Gospel accounts say!
Let us first look at the sequence of events over the period of time after Jesus death till He ascended. Now remember, the Gospels are documents which have recorded historical events. All four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, tell us that Jesus was crucified, died and was buried within a sealed and guarded tomb. What do these four Gospels say happened next?
The tomb is empty
- Two Marys watch the burial: (Matthew27:61, Mark 15:47, Luke23:54-55)
- Roman soldiers guard the tomb and place an official Roman seal upon it: (Matthew 27:62-66)
- Women prepare burial spices then rest: (Luke 23:56)
- An angel rolls the stone away: (Matthew 28:2-4)
- Women arrive at dawn with spices: (Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:1-4, Luke 24:1-3, John 20:1)
- Angels appear to women: (Matthew 28:5-7, Mark 16:5-7, Luke 24:4-8)
- Women dart back to tell disciples: (Matthew 28:8, Mark 16:8, Luke 24:9-11, John 20:2)
- Peter and John investigate the empty tomb: (Luke 24:12, John 20:3-9)
- Peter and John go home: (Luke 24:12, John 20:10)
- Mary Magdalene weeps by the tomb: (John 20:11)
- Mary sees two angels: (John 20:12-13)
Jesus’ appearances
- Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene: (Mark 16:9, John 20:14-17) •
- Jesus appears to the other women: (Matthew 28:9-10) •
- Women report to the disciples: (Mark 16:10-11, John 20:18) •
- Guards testify to the priests: (Matthew 28:11-15) •
- Jesus meets two people on the Emmaus Road: (Mark 16:12-13, Luke 24:13-32) •
- Jesus appears to Simon Peter: (1 Corinthians 15:5, Luke 24:34) •
- 2 report to disciples in Jerusalem: (Luke 24:33-35) •
- Jesus appears to the Disciples less Thomas: (Luke 24:36-43, John 20:19-24) •
- Disciples report to Thomas: (John 20:25) •
- Jesus appears to the Disciples and Thomas: (Mark 16:14, John 20:26-29) •
- Jesus appears to seven people: (John 21:1-14) •
- Jesus questions Peter 3 times: (John 21:15-23) •
- Jesus appears to 500 people: (1 Corinthians 15:6) •
- Jesus appears to James: (1 Corinthians 15:7)
Evidences for the resurrection
OK so Jesus is resurrected! What evidence do we have for Jesus resurrection to new life? As you read the Gospels and the Book of Acts, notice the changed attitude of the disciples after seeing the risen Jesus. They changed from defeated, cowardly people to victorious, brave people. Nobody who could have produced the dead body of Jesus, did so. Their silence is as significant as the preaching of the Apostles. Or take the multiple appearances of Jesus to various numbers of individuals and groups of people at, various times of the day and in differing circumstances. This shows that Jesus’ resurrection was physical in nature! Some people say Jesus’ resurrection was spiritual in nature but not physical. But the amount of people that saw Him physically afterwards dispels that particular myth. What about the current tangible evidence - the survival and inordinate growth and impact of the early church and that the church is still growing 2000 years later. If there was no bodily resurrection of Jesus’ would people really have risked persecution and death for knowing a lie? One or two people maybe, but not hundreds and thousands!
Dealing with Doubters
Yet people still doubt. Let us say Jesus didn’t rise from the dead. Surely the authorities, both Jewish and Roman, would have produced his dead body in order to quench this new movement! But they didn’t, and the reason they didn’t is because there was no body to produce! Would the disciples have really risked death for telling and maintaining a lie about the risen Jesus? They were beaten, confused, defeated and dispersed men until they saw Jesus truly did rise from the dead. After seeing Him, they were transformed and victorious people.
I have had people say to me that somebody (even the disciples) stole the body. Hardly likely! If the body had been stolen, for what reason or purpose? How would they have got past the Roman Guard and moved the stone a great distance from the tomb? This very reason is what the Jewish authorities tried to perpetuate by way of a bribe, in Matthew 28:11-15 “Now while the disciples of Jesus were going, behold, some of the guards came into the city, and told the chief priests all the things that had happened. When they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave a large amount of silver to the soldiers, saying, “Say that his disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him and make you free of worry.” So they took the money and did as they were told. This saying was spread abroad among the Jews, and continues until this day.”
Then we have the swoon theory. Jesus didn’t die but merely fainted and recovered consciousness in the tomb. Even the sceptics disagree with this theory, one of whom said “It is impossible that a being who had stolen half-dead out of the sepulchre, who crept about weak and ill, wanting medical treatment, who required bandaging, strengthening and indulgence, and who still at last yielded to His sufferings, could have given to the disciples the impression that He was a Conqueror over death and the grave, the Prince of Life”.
Or perhaps, they all went to the wrong tomb. That’s it – they went to the wrong tomb. Whilst one person may have gone to a wrong tomb, not everyone would have done. Besides, the gospel accounts tell us that people were waiting outside the tomb where Jesus was buried! Surely Joseph would know which tomb Jesus was buried in, seeing as Joseph owned it!
Lastly, Jesus didn’t die on the cross but somebody was substituted for him. This is certainly untenable, given the rigidity and strict record keeping of Roman rule and with the eyes of the Jewish hierarchy watching. This conjecture is a lie of satan, because he knows the significance of Jesus having risen physically from the dead.
Significance of the Resurrection
Now let us look briefly at the significance of the Jesus’ resurrection. We look in the writings of the Apostle Paul in
1 Corinthians 15:1-8: Now I declare to you, brothers, the Good News which I preached to you, which also you received, in which you also stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold firmly the word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers at once, most of whom remain until now, but some have also fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all, as to the child born at the wrong time, he appeared to me also.
That was the Apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthian church about the Jesus having been raised from the dead – physically! The resurrection of Jesus Christ provided the central theme for the sermons and teaching in the early church (Acts 1:22; Acts 4:33, Acts 17:18). But what significance is there in Jesus’ resurrection?
The resurrection proved and vindicated all Jesus’ teaching and claims as the suffering Servant and attested to His being fully God and the last Judge of all mankind (Isaiah 53:10-12; Acts 2:36; Acts 3:13-15; Romans 1:4). The resurrection, declared God’s approval of Jesus obedient service and the fulfilment of all the Old Testament promises, resulting in forgiveness of sins and salvation being only found in and through Jesus Christ, which was the prime motive for evangelism in the early church (Acts 2:32, Romans 4:24-25). Jesus’ resurrection is a sign of the bodily resurrection for all believers in Him, giving a new attitude to death and transforming hopes (1 Corinthians 15:12-58, Romans 8:10, 2 Corinthians 4:14; 1 Peter 1:3 & 21). As the resurrected King, Jesus now intercedes for us and has perfected the redemption of all those who choose to follow Him (Romans 5:10; Hebrews 6:20; 1 Peter 1:21).
Finally the resurrection of Jesus’ physical body is a sure victory over satan, sin and death. All three are conquered and squashed. Satan is a defeated creature and will do anything to drag people into defeat with him. The power of sin is conquered, and sin’s grip is overcome if you are a believer in Jesus Christ. Finally, as I said earlier, death has been beaten, because those who believe and trust in Jesus Christ will live forever with him – death is not the end but a beginning. If Jesus Christ did not physically rise from the dead then as Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 “Now if Christ is preached, that he has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither has Christ been raised. If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith also is in vain. Yes, we are found false witnesses of God, because we testified about God that he raised up Christ, whom he didn’t raise up, if it is so that the dead are not raised. For if the dead aren’t raised, neither has Christ been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins. Then they also who are fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all people most pitiable.”
Or let me put it in my own words - if Jesus Christ did not physically rise from the dead, we as Christians are the product of the greatest delusional lie and are the most foolish of all people.
Tomorrow, on Easter Monday, we will look at how we are to respond to the message of Easter.
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