Partakers Christian Podcasts

Mormonism - An Introduction The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-Day Saints. Right mouse click here to download as a MP3 audio file     My first introduction to Mormonism was when visiting some homes in the Bournemouth area on behalf of a local evangelical church. Knocking on one particular door I received an extremely warm welcome. I was politely invited into a nice, well kept home and was made at home instantly. My first thoughts were "Wow! Surely here is a Christian home!" So what led me to that conclusion?" You may well ask, for surely there are polite atheists living in our district aren't there?. It wasn't because of their high interest in the Bible for that was surely evident.. No, I was perhaps thinking that way because the words they used concerning the things of God were very very similar. They seemed to use all the jargon that many Christians use. Yes, they talked like Christians yet there was something odd about them. Why do I say that? Because when I brought up in the conversation somet

Worship  I often hear people say that their church has the best worship and that other church worship services are inferior! Or I hear that a person has moved churches, because the experience is different and better there!  What are we to think as Christians in the twenty first century about biblical worship? The Psalmist writes in Psalm 105:1-6: "Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds. Exult in his holy name; rejoice, you who worship the Lord. Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him. Remember the wonders he has performed, his miracles, and the rulings he has given, you children of his servant Abraham, you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones." Today there are many different churches using different worship styles to worship the one True and Living God!  We can even think of different churches in the New Testament worshipping differently

Psalm 65 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. A song. 65:1 Praise waits for you, God, in Zion. To you shall vows be performed. 65:2 You who hear prayer, to you all men will come. 65:3 Sins overwhelmed me, but you atoned for our transgressions. 65:4 Blessed is one whom you choose, and cause to come near, that he may live in your courts. We will be filled with the goodness of your house, your holy temple. 65:5 By awesome deeds of righteousness, you answer us, God of our salvation. You who are the hope of all the ends of the earth, of those who are far away on the sea; 65:6 Who by his power forms the mountains, having armed yourself with strength; 65:7 who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations. 65:8 They also who dwell in faraway places are afraid at your wonders. You call the morning's dawn and the evening with songs of joy. 65:9 You visit the earth, and water it. You greatly enrich it. The river of God is full of water. You provide them grain, for so y

  Jesus Christ - No longer a baby 8. Jesus’ Relationship With The Christian So you have just become a Christian, been a Christian for a while, or are just interested in what this relationship with Jesus business is all about. I am sure you are aware that what you believe, affects what you do. Children behave like children, because that is what they are. Adults behave like adults, because that is who they are. So by remembering who we are as Christians, then we should also therefore behave like followers of Jesus Christ. You died with Jesus. Jesus not only died for you, but you have died with him. The reason for this is that Jesus Christ’s death on the cross also broke sin’s power over you. You are in Christ and one with Christ. Baptism, is a strong act of identification of this because it symbolizes your death with Jesus. You are raised with Jesus. It is an exciting fact that you are raised with him and you rule with him, seated at the right hand of the Father because of yo

Jesus Christ - No longer a baby 7. How To Be Assured You Are A Christian Now that you are a Christian, (if you are one), there may well be times when you doubt if you are God’s child. For no clear reason you don’t feel saved. But being a Christian is not to be based on emotional feelings but rather the clear and authoritative promise of God. God the Father has promised you salvation and given you his Spirit. He has promised to accept everybody who trusts in Jesus. God keeps his promises and he can be trusted. This means you have the right to enter Heaven one day, and that he will work out all things for your good here on earth as you live a life worthy of one who is his child. Jesus, the Son of God, promised you a life of abundance here on earth and a future in eternity! This is called ‘eternal life’ and it is a life of quality not only for your future home in heaven, but for your present home on earth. Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven where he continually

  Jesus Christ - No longer a baby 6. How Do You Become A Christian - a follower of Jesus? If you want to turn to God there is no need for delay. God is ready and willing to take you as his own right now. You only have to ask him to forgive you and to give you help on the journey ahead which he will do by giving you the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is a nurturing and personal partnership between God and yourself. The act of deciding to change course in mid-life, is what is called conversion. You may also know it as being born again, or deciding to be a Christian. When you place your faith in Jesus, becoming utterly dependent upon Him, you turn to God. That means that you have changed your intentions in the way you are going to live in future. However once you have made that decision, you leave behind your spiritual isolation and rebellion against him. As you live each day, becoming more involved with Jesus day by day, you will discover you are changing. You will find yourself doing things that pl

  Jesus Christ - No longer a baby 5. Was Jesus Christ Simply Just A Good Moral Teacher? Today we have another question? Was Jesus Christ simply a good moral teacher, and nothing more? It is often a statement often associated with Jesus Christ, that he was simply a good moral teacher. Nothing more. Nothing less. This thinking is also untenable and unworkable. How so? We start by asking ourselves, if Jesus’ teaching reflects a good way to live, and if they do, what did he teach? Jesus’ moral code, revolving around the part of the Bible we call the Old Testament, can be summarized as “do to others, what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12). Some people refer to this as the “Golden Rule“. However, Jesus with greater insight went further than anybody else. He goes on to say that it is not only the outward actions of a person that makes them morally good, it is also the internal attitude behind it (Matthew

  Jesus Christ - No longer a baby 4. Why Would God Become Human? A natural question now follows. Why would God become human? God Himself has taken on the responsibility for our sins. Jesus when he died on the cross bore our sins. Although he was sinless, he therefore became sin for us. By doing this, we are drawn to him in a personal way. God has shown that he loves us and wants us in a relationship with himself. God is one and therefore there could only be one incarnation - that is God taking on a human form – fully God and fully human. By doing away with the incarnation, could God’s salvation plan be fulfilled? No way! If Jesus was not fully God, then he would be part of the problem and therefore need to be redeemed himself! That would not work as there then would be no possibility of redeeming humanity so that they could have relationship and fellowship with God. God Himself has bridged the gap between the supernatural and the natural, the infinite and the finite. God did this

  Jesus Christ - No longer a baby 3. Jesus is fully Human We looked very briefly yesterday about Jesus being fully God. Today we go further and investigate very briefly at Jesus being fully human. That Jesus was a man who existed is not really disputable. There are a large variety of documents from that period of time about Him, including many and various sources outside the Bible. The primary historical documents about Him, the Bible, state Jesus Christ was born of a woman, which in itself tells us that before he was born he was nurtured and formed as any other male baby was and is. His genealogical line is given and he grew into maturity as any young Jewish boy did. These documents we know today as the Bible books Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. We know from these four ‘biographies’, or gospels, written about him, that in line with his humanity, Jesus exhibited normal human emotions. Emotions such as love, sorrow, joy, anger and anguish. Jesus ate and drank. He had a body and a sou

  Jesus Christ - No longer a baby 2. Jesus Christ - Fully God Yesterday we looked at what the name Jesus meant and how it was appropriate that he was called that. Today we are looking briefly at Jesus being fully God! God’s salvation plan for humans’ involved triumphant victory over sin, death and the grave. However no person could be found who was eligible or capable enough to do this. So God stepped into human history, so that this victory could be achieved. This is what we celebrate at Christmas. This God-man would be fully human, so as to live every feature of humanity, including suffering and death. This God-man would also need to remain fully God, so as to be big enough and powerful enough to defeat sin, death and the grave. A human could only die for their own sins. However God could die for the sins of all humanity. Jesus, being sinless, was this God-man, consisting as he did of two complete natures, the God nature and the human nature. Throughout the Bible, Jesus is ackno

  Jesus Christ - No longer a baby 1. What's in a name? I wonder what your name means. Parents often name their children after the hopes and aspirations they have for that child. For example, I know somebody called Grace, and her nature is full of grace. My name, David, means “beloved”. When my parents named me, it was meant to symbolize the love they had for me. Although when I put the cricket ball through the kitchen window or the time I crushed the vegetable patch whilst running after a football, I did not feel very beloved afterwards! When Jesus was born, his name expressed the very reason he was born. His conception and birth were extraordinary at every level. Do you think that his parents ever gazed upon him, and thought “How misnamed he is”! They did not, because they knew the very purpose for which he was born. Did Jesus ever think of how misnamed he was? Certainly not! For Jesus’ name means ‘the one who saves’ or ‘a rescuer’. In

Psalm 91 91:1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 91:2 I will say of Yahweh, "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust." 91:3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly pestilence. 91:4 He will cover you with his feathers. Under his wings you will take refuge. His faithfulness is your shield and rampart. ~ 91:5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day; 91:6 nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that wastes at noonday. 91:7 A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it will not come near you. 91:8 You will only look with your eyes, and see the recompense of the wicked. ~ 91:9 Because you have made Yahweh your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place, 91:10 no evil shall happen to you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling. 91:11 For he will put his angels in charge of you, to guard you in a

Psalm 128 A Song of Ascents. Blessed is everyone who fears Yahweh, who walks in his ways. For you will eat the labor of your hands. You will be happy, and it will be well with you. Your wife will be as a fruitful vine, in the innermost parts of your house; your children like olive plants, around your table. Behold, thus is the man blessed who fears Yahweh. May Yahweh bless you out of Zion, and may you see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life. Yes, may you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel.   Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file

Partakers Bible Thought 29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.” (Acts 17:29-31) 8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— 9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. (2 Corinthians 7:8-10) I wonder what you know or think about the word “repentance”. The dictionary defines re

Nicene Creed What we believe as Christians... We pray together and when Christians pray together, from different nations, different churches and different denominations - that reveals Church unity! Come! Let us pray and profess together!   We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all that is, seen and unseen. ~ We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. ~ Through Him all things were made. For us and for our salvation He came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit, He became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. ~ For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered death and was buried. On the third day He rose again in accordance with the Scriptures: He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in gl

When Jesus comes back as King Revelation 21-22 Introduction Right mouse click or tap here here to download as a MP3 audio file After His ascension, Jesus is at the right hand of God the Father! He is King and what a King. Jesus is coming again, not as a baby this time, but as King and judge.  Both ideas are affirmed by Jeremiah and John. We will do two things today.  Firstly, to give a very brief overview of Revelation 11 and then progress to the end of Revelation and give just three brief vignettes into what the reward is that John writes about in verse 18. Christ's reign Prepared! Purity (v.1-4) Pearly gates (v.21) Conclusion Be encouraged, heaven is for you if you are trusting and obeying Jesus and have Him as Lord of your life!  Remember.  Whatever your attitude and how you judge Jesus now, is how He will judge you when He returns!  Are you following Him and treating Him with respect and reverence?  If you aren't, then it isn't too late to change your mind and then the reward of eternal living in heaven

Partakers Friday Prayers! 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! Let us pray earnestly this prayer together to our great God!    Look upon us, O Lord, and let all the darkness of our souls vanish before the beams of Your brightness. ~ Fill us with holy love, and open to us the treasures of Your wisdom. ~ All our desire is known by You, therefore perfect what You have begun, and what the Spirit has awakened us to ask in prayer. ~ We seek Your face, turn Your face toward us and show us Your glory. ~ Then shall our longing be satisfied, and our peace shall be perfect. Amen   Augustine (354-430AD) Right mouse click to save this Podcast in MP3.   Click on the appropriate link below to subscribe to this website Subscribe via iTunes

Why would God become human? In our last study we looked at Jesus Christ being fully God. We concluded with a question - Why would Jesus be fully man and fully God and so what? Today we seek to engage with that question and briefly answer it. One of the church father’s, Anselm, wrote that God’s salvation plan for humans’ involved triumphant victory over sin, death and the grave. However no person could be found that was eligible or capable to do this. Because of this, God stepped into the human history, so that this victory could be achieved. This God-man would be fully human, so as to live every feature of humanity, including suffering and death. This God-man would also need to remain fully God, so as to defeat sin, death and the grave. Jesus, being sinless, was this God-man, consisting as he did of two complete natures, the God nature and the human nature. So what does all that mean! Firstly, it means that God himself has taken on the responsibility for our sins. Jesus on the cros

WOW Jesus Fully God Today we are looking at Jesus being fully God! You may remember that in our previous study, we looked at Jesus being fully human. This is also part of what we celebrate at Christmas. As Christians, we believe God inhabited a human body, thereby still being God, but also being fully human. Throughout the Bible, Jesus is acknowledged as God. The apostle John, as we discussed in a previous study in this series, expressly called Jesus, the Word or God. Later on in his life, John expressly stated that Jesus was “the true God and eternal life”. Jesus himself claimed equality with God and when He stated “your sins are forgiven”, some of the Jewish rulers attributed this as a “God alone” action and thereby accused Him, at least in their minds, of blasphemy against God! When He was on trial for blasphemy, during the questioning again Jesus equated himself with being God. That Jesus is both human and divine is what makes Christianity unique amongst the

WOW Jesus Fully Human At Christmas, we celebrate when God became human, in what we call the incarnation. But could God really enter this world as a human? As Christians, we believe that God did indeed enter our messed up world, as a man – the man Jesus Christ. That Jesus was a man is not really disputable. The primary documents about Him, found in the Bible, says that he was born of a woman, which in itself tells us that at least in a prenatal state he was nurtured and formed as any other male baby was and is. His genealogical line is given and He grew into maturity as any young Jewish boy did. His birth was messy, just as any child’s birth was 2000 years ago, let alone all that was going on behind the scenes! With his humanity, and being fully human, Jesus exhibited normal human emotions such as love, happiness, joy, laughter, weeping, sadness, anger and anguish. Jesus ate and drank. Jesus grew tired. Jesus slept, perspired and bled. Jesus died just as all humans do. Religiously, he worshipp