Partakers Christian Podcasts

Shepherd - Bible Thought - WISE

Partake WISE - Shepherd

Right mouse click to save this Podcast as a MP3.

What is a Shepherd

A shepherd is somebody who leads, teaches and cares for people. Are not all Christians commanded to lead people back to God and also help others along the way? That is the role of a shepherd. Of course the prime example of a Shepherd is that of Jesus Christ - the Great Shepherd.

How God and Jesus are Shepherds

In Psalm 23, we see that God is our shepherd. The quality, characteristics and activities of God Himself, are those of a shepherd. Jesus Christ said in John 10v10, that He gives His life that all those who follow Him, will have it more abundantly. Jesus as the Great Shepherd came to earth in order to bring sheep back into the fold; that is to bring people back into a full relationship with God. Jesus here in John 10, is looking ahead to His death on the cross as a means of facilitating the way for people to come back into a living relationship with God. The focus in Hebrews 13v20-21 is on the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, working in you, to produce that which is well pleasing in His sight. All Christians are like shepherds, being moulded by the Holy Spirit.

How are you to be a shepherd?

Nurture (Psalm 78v72 & John 21v15-17). Jesus is always concerned for the welfare of the weak, the small and the young. If you love and follow Jesus, you also should be concerned to care for the weak, oppressed and poor.

Feeding & nourishing (John 21v16-17). This means to tend, manage, and govern people, feeding and nourishing them. As a shepherd, you are to be interested in the care and welfare of others, both physically and spiritually.

Protects (Acts 20v28-29). The job of a shepherd is also to be watchful (Proverb 27v23). This means to be alert, quick to respond and care for people who may well be going through physical or spiritual dangers unaware.

Cares for Needy (Ezekiel 34v4). Prominent in biblical shepherding is caring for the weak and healing the wounded. The Great Shepherd retrieves rather than abandons. He restores rather than rejects.

You, and I, are to do likewise. As you are to be Jesus to people, you are to be their shepherd. The shepherd highlights a care for God's people. The shepherd persistently obeys God, wisely using available resources to accomplish God's purposes and to carefully nurture the people God has provided. This nurturing could be by leading them into faith by evangelism. If they are already a Christian, it is leading them through a life of faith by discipling. When you give care to the poor, needy and oppressed, you are sheperding, just as God does. His concerns are to be your concerns. May it be so, for by doing this, Christianity can make a difference, in a world which is seeking to kill the Great Shepherd by making Him an irrelevance. This Christmas, be a shepherd, just as Jesus was and is a Shepherd.

Click or tap here to save this Podcast as a MP3.

Stewardship - Bible Thought - WISE

Stewardship

Stewardship is defined as the exercise of responsible care over possessions or gifts entrusted to them by God! The New Testament word "steward" derives from the Greek word - oikonomos. This word meant somebody who was the manager of a household and also supervised all the resources of his master. Hebrews 3:1-6 describes the concept of stewardship. All those who would call themselves followers of Jesus, are called to be stewards and live a life of stewardship! You are God's chosen steward, if you call yourself a follower of Jesus Christ.

A house in Scripture, in its context, denotes a family (1 Timothy 3v15; 1 Peter 2v5; 1 Peter 4v10-17). Every Christian Disciple is a member of the house of Jesus Christ. The concept of stewardship derives from this: Jesus Christ is the head of the house, and all those who follow Him, live in the house and are stewards (Ephesians 4v7-16). Two prime qualifications for stewardship are faithfulness & wisdom. What are Christian Disciples stewards over? In the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) Jesus intimates that those who follow Him, will be judged according to all that they have been given stewardship of! This includes things such as Spiritual Gifts (1 Corinthians 12v1-10), acts of service (Galatians 5v13) and material possessions (2 Corinthians 9v6-8)! These are used to accomplish three other items of Stewardship: mission, message and men.

Here are two prime examples of stewards.

a. Jesus Christ. He is the prime steward, and particularly a steward of a mission, a message and of people. His Mission can be seen in John 3v17; John 17v4. His message is seen in John 17v8-14. His stewardship of men can be observed in John 17v6, 9, 11, 17

b. Paul. Also was a steward of mission, message and of people. His mission can be studied in Ephesians 2v19 - 3v8. Paul's Message is observed in 1 Corinthians 9v16-17; Colossians 1v25. Finally, Paul's stewardship of people, where others are his equal is seen in 1 Timothy 1v11-18; 2 Timothy 1v6-14, Titus 1v3-5; 2 Corinthians 2 v12-13

What are the responsibilities of a Christian steward?

You need to know the mission you have received from Jesus Christ. You needs to know the message of that mission. You needs to know who God has given you. Finally, you need to know what resources have been made available to do the job. This Christmas, remember that Jesus Christ was a steward over a mission, a message and people. Like Him and Paul, so do you. Do you know what your role as a Christian steward is? Are you showing wisdom and faithfulness as you discharge your role as steward?

Click or tap here to save this Podcast as a MP3.

Baptism - Bible Thought - WISE

Baptism

Jesus came and told His Disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make Disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new Disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

Baptism is commanded for all who believe in Jesus (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38) and it naturally followed after conversion (Acts 2:37; Acts 10:47; Acts 16:33). But what does it mean?

What is baptism?

Christian Disciples are baptized into Christ (Romans 6:3), and into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is to show a total identification with Jesus Christ, whereby Christian Disciples are baptized into His body (1 Corinthians 12:13) and His death (Romans 6:1-6). Our old inherent sinful natures are seen as buried with Christ and we are raised to live a new life with a new nature! Baptism is also a public testimony that Christian Disciples have entered into God’s blessings.

Who should be baptized?

There are two main schools of thought over who should be baptized.

Firstly there is “Believers baptism”, which is for all who confess faith in Christ and is mentioned frequently in the New Testament (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:41). This was by full immersion, usually in a river or other public place.

Secondly, there is what is called “Infant baptism”. This practice and teaching was passed down by the Apostles and was current by the time of the early church Fathers, Origen and Tertullian. The basis for Infant Baptism lies in the Old Testament, where the sign of the covenant between God and His people was circumcision of the male babies. Baptism can be thought of as the equivalent in the New Testament and therefore applicable to infants (Colossians 2:6-12).

I am not going to tell you my opinion on which I think is the correct form. Suffice to say, that God has used proponents of both opinions! If you have not been baptized and would call yourself a Christian, then go and ask your church leader about how you can undergo this vital part of Christian life.

Click or tap here to download as a mp3 file

Angels - Bible Thought - WISE

Angel

Bookshops are filled with books on Angels!  But we must beware, for not all angels are good!  We know from the Bible that there are good angels and bad angels. 

 

Angels

 

From the Bible, we know that angels are created beings (Psalm 148:2-5) possibly created before humanity (Job38:7). We know that angels carry God’s message (Luke 1)

 

The writer of the Book of Hebrews tells us that angels serve humans who are inheriting salvation (Hebrews 1:14)! They appear in human form, as in Abraham’s visitor (Genesis 18). Whilst angels are genderless, they invariably, when appearing to people, have masculine names such as Michael and Gabriel. They can neither die (Luke 20:36) nor  marry (Mark 12:25).  Being personal and intelligent, they communicate with humans.  They have a will (2 Peter 2:4), are separate from humanity (1 Corinthians 6v3) and powerful yet also finite.  There are large companies of angels (Revelation 5:11), which are organized into ranks!  For example: Michael the archangel (Jude 9) and legions of angels (Matthew 26:53).

 

God’s Angels constantly rejoice at God’s work (Revelation 5:11-12); and at a sinner’s conversion (Luke 15:10).

 

Bad Angels

 

Bad angels are often referred to as demons.  The Bible says that some angels rebelled against God and were put out of heaven (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28). Their leader is satan who has established his kingdom on earth, and is the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4).  They know Jesus and His authority and also know their eternal fate is destruction and torment (Matthew 8:29-31).  Because of this, they want to take as many humans with them as possible.  So they tempt humans to disobey God (Genesis 3); possess people (Mark 5) and give inspiration to false teachers (Galatians 1:8).  They seek to hinder God’s program and hatefully oppose all God’s of work and God’s people (Mark 4:15; Job 2:4-5).

 

How can we know the difference between good angels and bad angels?  We listen to what they are telling us.  If what they say is bringing all glory to God and to Jesus Christ, and they are always giving the glory to God, then they must be from God.  If everything they say or do doesn’t match this standard, then they cannot be from God.

Finally, the job of spreading the Gospel is not for angels.  It is for Christian Disciples to do as commanded by Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20).  God obviously thinks it is a much more efficient and effective method, than getting angels to do it!  That method involves you – going to tell somebody else the glorious message of salvation through Jesus Christ alone.

Click or tap here to download as a mp3 file

Sovereignty Of God - Bible Thought - WISE

Sovereignty of God

The sovereignty of God means that God is in control at all times and nothing can occur outside of His control and will.  God loves His creation and cares for it.  He won’t deny people their humanity when dealing with them. 

Decrees – a part of Sovereignty

Sovereign decree: When God says “Eternal life is available for all.  You may choose to accept or reject it.  Those that accept it, I will call my children.”  Your own reaction as a Christian Disciple is that you have taken up God’s offer and are trusting and obeying.

Conditional decree: When God says “I am willing to give you my opinion and help when you ask.”  Our reaction should be to read the Bible, and pray and talk to God about the situation!

Natural decree:  When God has created a lemon tree, that lemon tree wont produce potatoes.”  Our reaction should be to plan in view of that.

But!

A question often posed is one that goes “Well if God is sovereign, then why doesn’t He do something about the suffering of the masses such as those in who are dying for lack of food?” But God has done something about it!  God has provided enough food for all people everywhere, just that we in the West are greedy! So the problem is not with God, but with people! God’s provision to all people has become God’s provision for the minority, through humanity’s inhumanity to others.

As for other kinds of suffering, that’s part of the reason for the cross, where God Himself experienced human suffering when Jesus died on the cross: Jesus, the man who was both fully God and fully human.  God is not so removed from our sufferings, which He Himself endured and suffered at the Cross.  Just because God allows free will to all people to sin, doesn’t mean that God is responsible for the sin – that is, and must remain, people’s responsibility! If not, we would all just be robotic automatons instead of free people.

God knows…

God’s sovereignty is inclusive in that it covers all actions of people, good or bad (Acts 2v23; Ephesians 2v10).  The foundation of God’s sovereignty is wisdom according to Paul (Ephesians 3:8-11).  So, when we are faced with a decision, God knows what is going to occur. He knows all the options and choices.  It is important when faced with making decisions to pray about it and read the Bible.  He seeks you to respond to Him with love and affection. Why not start today, and ask Him for help? God is interested in every facet of your life.  If He were not, then He couldn’t be personal, and He certainly wouldn’t be sovereign!

Click or tap here to download as a mp3

Spiritual Gifts - Bible Thought - WISE

Spiritual Gifts

When Jesus said to His apostles “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14v12), it was through the promised Holy Spirit (John 14v17), and impartment of Spiritual gifts, that His words were fulfilled.

What are spiritual gifts?

The phrase “spiritual gifts” derives from the Greek word Charismata. They are also called grace gifts, which refer to any gift God gives out of the abundance of His grace and are given to all Christians as God sees fit (1 Corinthians 12v11). They are not all spectacular gifts such as healing and tongues, as some churches today would have you believe! The gifts quoted in various New Testament passages reflect this: “administration, apostle, discernment, evangelism, exhortation, giving, faith, healing, helps, knowledge, leadership, mercy, miracles, pastor, prophecy, service, teaching, tongues, tongues interpretation, wisdom.”

Have you ever met anybody who asked for the gift of giving or gift of mercy? Paul commands that you “try to excel in gifts that build up the church” (1 Corinthians 14v12). And there are probably many more outside of that list! When the church is built up, unity will prevail, for the diversity of Spiritual gifts within each local church, helps build unity.

Who has them? All Christians have them! As a Christian, you have spiritual gifts, for “in his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well” (Romans 12v6). God the Holy Spirit, through His infinite wisdom, mercy and grace bestows these gifts upon you to be used so that God is glorified through your service to Him (1 Peter 4v11)!

The Purpose of Spiritual gifts

The reason that the Holy Spirit imparts spiritual gifts to you it is so that the body of Christ is built up (Ephesians 4v12), for the common good of the church (1 Corinthians 12v7, 14v12) and “so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 4v12). These reasons mean that God wants you to be active in service. If your spiritual gifts are not used for God’s purposes, then they are meaningless.

Your Response All Christians are dependent upon each other, just as one part of the human body has dependence on another part. That is why we serve each other and use the gifts generously given by God. As all Christians have gifts, you have a responsibility to discover and develop them (1 Timothy 4v14)! God has called you and equipped you with spiritual gifts, and they are not to be neglected! You are to discover, discern, develop and put into effect your spiritual gifts, so that God can be glorified and His church built up! Ask God to continue their development, strengthening and opportunities to use them! Seek gifts that build up others, commands Paul (1 Corinthians 14v1-12). Ask God faithfully for gifts that give opportunity for you to serve God and others!

Click or tap here to download as mp3

Worship - Bible Thought - WISE

Partake – Words In Scripture Explored – Worship

What is worship?

I wonder what you think worship is? Is your view of worship, too small? Worship is giving God alone (Psalm 19v2), glory due His name in the beauty of His holiness (1 Chronicles 16v29), with reverence. This is where through the use of the mind and the senses, honour and respect are directed towards God, “in spirit and in truth” (John 4v24)! Worshipping in Spirit involves the whole person – mind, body and will. Worshipping in truth means that all true worship reflects God’s character. The Christian Church has 2000 years of worship resources, all of which can be used in modern Church services, and not just the latest songs! Worship in a church service should be an intimate, dynamic and holy encounter with God.

Why worship?

Firstly God commands it, as 1 Chronicles 16v29 reminds us “Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his presence. Worship the Lord in all his holy splendour”. God deserves worshipping for He alone personifies goodness (Psalm 100vv4-5), mercy (Exodus 4v31), holiness (Psalm 99v5,9) and power (Revelation 4v11). God is to be worshipped in obedience to Him as creator (Revelation 4v11), Saviour and Lord (Habakkuk 3v18). Worship brings exuberant satisfaction (Romans 12v2; Colossians 3v24). When was the last time you had worship like that!!

Worship is obedience and submission

And of course worshipping with others in a church is worship! But it is only part of worship, and certainly not the full meaning of worship! Does that surprise you? Worship is not just on the Sunday, or individual acts during the rest of the week! Worship, in the wider biblical sense of the word, for the Christian is to be an active dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ and seeking a life of total obedience and submission to Him. True worship of the living God involves total obedience to His ways and not just singing songs. For the ancient Israelites, sacrifices were an innate part of their life and worship structure. Yet as Samuel said: “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15v22) What he is saying is that God prefers life obedience rather than acts of worship. Obedience and submission to God is true worship of Him! By seeking to obey Him and submit your life to Him, that is true worship of Him. Worship is to be to God alone! Yet sometimes preachers and other church leaders are raised to an unhealthy status of reverence that is unbiblical. It is as if they are being worshipped, rather than God, to whom you are exhorted to obey and submit to. So go! Go obey and submit your life to God and make your whole life as an act of worship to Him!

Click or tap here to download this podcast as a mp3

Fellowship - Bible Thought For Today

Fellowship

 

I meet people who tell me they are Christians, but don’t want to go to a church anymore.  But by not doing so, they are missing out on perhaps one of the greatest blessings of being a Christian: fellowship.  One of the great things about belonging to a church is the act of fellowship, which results from walking with one another (1 John 17).  God has created us for fellowship and Jesus Christ has redeemed us so that we can have this fellowship together (Colossians 1:3-5). 

Inside this episode we look at:

• What is fellowship?
• Why fellowship?
• How do we fellowship?

 

How have you enjoyed fellowship this week and how will you enjoy it in the week to come?

Click or tap here to download as a mp3 file

Faith - Exploring Words In Scripture

Faith

People always say that faith is blind!  However the Bible says that faith is a total confidence in God’s faithfulness, which leads to reliance, trust and total obedience to Him (Hebrews 11v6).  We see this faith in the Godly obedience of those around us and from the Bible and church history.

Faith in Salvation

For salvation, faith is a voluntary change of mind and heart in the sinner in which the person turns to God, relying on and accepting His offer of salvation through Jesus Christ.

1. Mind - recognition of your need of salvation. Acknowledging Christ’s death on your behalf and your need of forgiveness.
2. Emotional (Heart) – your personal assent to the gospel.  You ask yourself, “What must I do to be saved?” and then you agree to make salvation a part of your life.
3. Will - Personal trust in Jesus Christ.

Now as a follower of Jesus, you are to continue having faith in Him.  Four things at least you are to have faith in Him for:

By faith - He is praying for you

Jesus Christ is making intercessions for His followers (Romans 8:34).  He knew the disciples troubles (Mark 6:48), just as He knows your troubles now.  He feels your cares and knows what you are going through (Hebrews 4:14-16).

By faith - He will come to you

Ever felt like God is far away? Well you aren’t alone!  King David often felt God was far away and unconcerned.  However he also knew God would ultimately rescue him.  Jesus always comes to you through difficult times, although He may not come in the time you think He should come, because He knows when you need Him most.

By faith - He will help you grow

When the disciples were in the storm and Jesus came to them walking on the water (Matthew 14:22-33), the purpose of this incident was to show that Jesus would be leaving them soon, so they had to learn to trust in Him when He wasn’t physically present.  Peter wrote later on in his life, “for the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers” (1 Peter 3v12).

By faith, He will see you through

At the same event, Jesus said “Come” and Peter went with Him.  This must have encouraged the other disciples, for upon seeing Jesus’ power they worshipped him.  Whatever troubles you are undergoing are temporary, and Jesus will see you through.

By faith, you have salvation. By faith Jesus is praying, will come to you, grow you and help you through troubles.  By being obedient to God, you are showing others your salvation and showing that faith, is not blind, but active!

 

Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file

Justification - Exploring Words In Scripture

Justification

I wonder if you have come across this word in your reading of the Bible and wondered what it was all about!!  Justification means, that God looks as you as if you have never sinned against Him.  That means you are declared free from the penalty of sin. Justification is only a reality to you, if you have taken up the offer and are a follower of Jesus Christ. The basis of this justification is that God the Son, Jesus Christ, is both the Just and the Justifier of sinners (Romans 3:21-26).  God is holy; therefore, sin must be dealt with. He cannot arbitrarily forgive sin.  The judgment and penalty of sin, which is death, was poured out on Jesus Christ who is the substitute.  Therefore justice has been done, because God is just.  By faith in Jesus Christ we are declared righteous as a free gift, and Christian Disciples are therefore justified.  Nothing we can do could make us justified before Almighty God.  It is only through His free grace.

Substitution Jesus died for your sin, the just for the unjust (1 Peter 3:18). That is how God is both just and the Justifier of sinners.  That is why Jesus needed to be both fully God and fully human, so as to be the full substitutionary sacrifice that was required to deal permanently with sin! For while you were yet a sinner, Jesus Christ died for you, (Romans 5:6-8), willingly giving His life as a ransom for you (Mark 10:45) and when He died in your place on the cross, He bore the consequences of all your sin – past, present and future.

Sacrifice This substitution was the sacrifice required in order that Jesus Christ could take away the sins of the world, which includes yours (John 1:29)! He therefore became sin for you (2 Corinthians 5:21) and it was His blood as the sacrificial lamb without spot or blemish (1Peter 1:18-19) that fulfils God’s requirements permanently. We are justified before God, because Jesus is our substitute! Because of Jesus’ death on the cross, justification means

• Your sins were nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:13-14)

• You are clothed in a robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10)

• You have the righteousness of Christ (Ephesians 1:7; Acts 13:38-39)

• You have received the gift of righteousness. (Romans 5:17)

• You have been declared righteousness by God through faith in Christ (Philippians 3:9)

So I challenge you with this: if He who was without sin, became sin, for you, you are to live a life worthy of Him and your status of freedom from sin in Jesus Christ.

 

Right mouse click or tap here to download as a MP3 audio file