120:2 Deliver my soul, Yahweh, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.

120:3 What will be given to you, and what will be done more to you, you deceitful tongue?

120:4 Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.

120:5 Woe is me, that I live in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!

120:6 My soul has had her dwelling too long with him who hates peace.

120:7 I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war.

** We are reading from the World English Bible translation, which used to be the American Standard Version. It is in the Public Domain and therefore copyright free. Come inside to hear and see! The World English Bible (WEB) is a Public Domain (no copyright) Modern English translation of the Holy Bible. That means that you may freely copy it in any form, including electronic and print formats. The World English Bible is based on the American Standard Version of the Holy Bible first published in 1901, the Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensa Old Testament, and the Greek Majority Text New Testament.

1 I will bless Yahweh at all times. His praise will always be in my mouth.

2 My soul shall boast in Yahweh. The humble shall hear of it, and be glad.

3 Oh magnify Yahweh with me. Let us exalt his name together.

4 I sought Yahweh, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.

5 They looked to him, and were radiant. Their faces shall never be covered with shame.

6 This poor man cried, and Yahweh heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

7 The angel of Yahweh encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.

8 Oh taste and see that Yahweh is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

9 Oh fear Yahweh, you his saints, for there is no lack with those who fear him.

10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger, but those who seek Yahweh shall not lack any good thing.

11 Come, you children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of Yahweh.

12 Who is someone who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good?

13 Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking lies.

14 Depart from evil, and do good. seek peace, and pursue it.

15 Yahweh's eyes are toward the righteous. His ears listen to their cry.

16 Yahweh's face is against those who do evil, to cut off their memory from the earth.

17 The righteous cry, and Yahweh hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.

18 Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but Yahweh delivers him out of them all.

20 He protects all of his bones. Not one of them is broken.

21 Evil shall kill the wicked. Those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.

22 Yahweh redeems the soul of his servants. None of those who take refuge in him shall be condemned.

** We are reading from the World English Bible translation, which used to be the American Standard Version. It is in the Public Domain and therefore copyright free. Come inside to hear and see! The World English Bible (WEB) is a Public Domain (no copyright) Modern English translation of the Holy Bible. That means that you may freely copy it in any form, including electronic and print formats. The World English Bible is based on the American Standard Version of the Holy Bible first published in 1901, the Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensa Old Testament, and the Greek Majority Text New Testament.

his praise in the assembly of the saints.

149:2 Let Israel rejoice in him who made them.

Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.

149:3 Let them praise his name in the dance!

Let them sing praises to him with tambourine and harp!

149:4 For Yahweh takes pleasure in his people.

He crowns the humble with salvation.

149:5 Let the saints rejoice in honor.

Let them sing for joy on their beds.

149:6 May the high praises of God be in their mouths,

and a two-edged sword in their hand;

149:7 To execute vengeance on the nations,

and punishments on the peoples;

149:8 To bind their kings with chains,

and their nobles with fetters of iron;

149:9 to execute on them the written judgment.

All his saints have this honor. Praise Yah!

Mark 8:34 He called the multitude to himself with his disciples, and said to them, "Whoever wants to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Mark 10:45 - For the Son of Man also came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Matthew wrote primarily to Jews who knew the Old Testament. He wrote to present Mark presents Jesus as Servant of the Lord, coming in fulfilment of the Old Testament. Jesus offers His credentials, gathers His disciples, while offering the Kingdom of God and its message. Jesus' teaching is seen in short parables, which hide the truth from those hardened against Him, yet prepares and instructs those responsive to Him. Overall Jesus calls those who follow him to serve others and to deny themselves by taking up their own cross, just as He took up His.

A song of ascents for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

128:1 Blessed is everyone who fears Yahweh, who walks in his ways.

128:2 For you will eat the labor of your hands. You will be happy, and it will be well with you.

128:3 Your wife will be as a fruitful vine, in the innermost parts of your house; your children like olive plants, around your table.

128:4 Behold, thus is the man blessed who fears Yahweh.

128:5 May Yahweh bless you out of Zion, and may you see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life.

128:6 Yes, may you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel.

Who shall live on your holy hill?

15:2 He who walks blamelessly does what is right,

and speaks truth in his heart;

15:3 He who doesn’t slander with his tongue,

nor does evil to his friend,

nor casts slurs against his fellow man;

15:4 In whose eyes a vile man is despised,

but who honors those who fear Yahweh;

he who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and doesn’t change;

15:5 he who doesn’t lend out his money for usury,

nor take a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things shall never be shaken.

26:5 I hate the assembly of evildoers,
and will not sit with the wicked.
26:6 I will wash my hands in innocence,
so I will go about your altar, Yahweh;
26:7 that I may make the voice of thanksgiving to be heard,
and tell of all your wondrous works.
26:8 Yahweh, I love the habitation of your house,
the place where your glory dwells.

26:9 Don’t gather my soul with sinners,
nor my life with bloodthirsty men;
26:10 in whose hands is wickedness,
their right hand is full of bribes.
26:11 But as for me, I will walk in my integrity.
Redeem me, and be merciful to me.
26:12 My foot stands in an even place.
In the congregations I will bless Yahweh.

1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness.

2 Why let the nations say, "Where is their God?"

3 Our God is in the heavens, and he does as he wishes.

4 Their idols are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands.

5 They have mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see.

6 They have ears but cannot hear, and noses but cannot smell.

7 They have hands but cannot feel, and feet but cannot walk, and throats but cannot make a sound.

8 And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them.

9 O Israel, trust the Lord! He is your helper and your shield.

10 O priests, descendants of Aaron, trust the Lord! He is your helper and your shield.

11 All you who fear the Lord, trust the Lord! He is your helper and your shield.

12 The Lord remembers us and will bless us. He will bless the people of Israel and bless the priests, the descendants of Aaron.

13 He will bless those who fear the Lord, both great and lowly.

14 May the Lord richly bless both you and your children.

15 May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

16 The heavens belong to the Lord, but he has given the earth to all humanity.

17 The dead cannot sing praises to the Lord, for they have gone into the silence of the grave.

18 But we can praise the Lord both now and forever!

5:2 Listen to the voice of my cry, my King and my God;

for to you do I pray.

5:3 Yahweh, in the morning you shall hear my voice.

In the morning I will lay my requests before you, and will watch expectantly.

5:4 For you are not a God who has pleasure in wickedness.

Evil can’t live with you.

5:5 The arrogant shall not stand in your sight.

You hate all workers of iniquity. 5

:6 You will destroy those who speak lies.

Yahweh abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

5:7 But as for me, in the abundance of your loving kindness

I will come into your house.

I will bow toward your holy temple in reverence of you.

5:8 Lead me, Yahweh, in your righteousness because of my enemies.

Make your way straight before my face.

5:9 For there is no faithfulness in their mouth.

Their heart is destruction.

Their throat is an open tomb.

They flatter with their tongue.

5:10 Hold them guilty, God.

Let them fall by their own counsels;

Thrust them out in the multitude of their transgressions,

for they have rebelled against you.

5:11 But let all those who take refuge in you rejoice,

Let them always shout for joy, because you defend them.

Let them also who love your name be joyful in you.

5:12 For you will bless the righteous. Yahweh,

you will surround him with favor as with a shield.

~

138:1 I will give you thanks with my whole heart.

Before the gods, I will sing praises to you.

138:2 I will bow down toward your holy temple,

and give thanks to your Name for your loving kindness and for your truth;

for you have exalted your Name and your Word above all.

138:3 In the day that I called, you answered me.

You encouraged me with strength in my soul.

138:4 All the kings of the earth will give you thanks, Yahweh,

for they have heard the words of your mouth.

138:5 Yes, they will sing of the ways of Yahweh;

for great is Yahweh’s glory.

138:6 For though Yahweh is high, yet he looks after the lowly;

but the proud, he knows from afar.

138:7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you will revive me.

You will stretch forth your hand against the wrath of my enemies.

Your right hand will save me.

138:8 Yahweh will fulfill that which concerns me;

your loving kindness, Yahweh, endures forever.

Don’t forsake the works of your own hands.

Of course we are now approaching the climax of the Biblical story: the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. But there is a curiosity here. The ancient creeds of the Christian church say things like: … born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate … without a word about his life in between. We, too, give a great deal of attention to Christmas and Easter, but probably not so much to his life in between. Yet, at a rough count, there are only 4 chapters in total in the 4 Gospels about his birth, 14 about his death, but no less than 73 about his life in between. What, in our excitement about his birth as a human being, the incarnation, and his death, for our salvation, are we missing?

The stories all 4 gospel writers tell concentrate on 3 things: first that Jesus was the long expected Messiah and secondly and closely associated with that that the Kingdom of God had arrived, and thirdly that this Messiah and this Kingdom are not as expected but modest, humble, quiet and suffering and therefore, very surprisingly, are the nature of God himself. Jesus clearly knew that it was of fundamental importance that these facts should be seen and understood by the people amongst whom he lived and taught before his death on the Cross.

First then: the Messiah and his Kingdom. These things interlock so tightly it is impossible to talk about them separately. They go together. These days we are very familiar with the power of the urge people have to be governed by their own people even if that government is not very good. Most of the wars we hear about in the world today are caused by a small group of people wanting to break away from a larger group and be their own masters and them to impose their ideas and their control on other people. It was just the same 2000 years ago. Rome was in control and although this meant that most of their world was peaceful the Jewish people were not at all happy with the situation. Their ancient scriptures seemed to suggest that things would be quite different. Psalm 89 says: “I will sing of the Lord ’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself. You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, ‘I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations. … I will maintain my love to him forever, and my covenant with him will never fail. I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure.”

The Jews of Jesus’ time might well ask how did what was happening fit into that? And they did ask, many times and in many ways and could not understand it. It was David’s heirs who were supposed to rule over the Lord’s people, not the Romans and their puppet kings who were actually doing so. In particular there was to be one man, David’s heir, the Lord’s anointed, the Messiah who was to lead the people of God. Where was he?

Then there is the prophecy of Daniel: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” He was to rule not just Israel but all nations. Why was that not happening?

John the Baptist was put in prison and from there he asked a very specific question of Jesus: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” by which he clearly meant are you the Messiah, David’s heir of the Psalms, the son of God of Daniel, or not?

Jesus replied in words that closely followed the statements of Isaiah chapters 35 and 61, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. That was a very loud and clear ‘yes, I am the Messiah’.
Then again in John chapter 2 we read that Jesus said: “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” John explains that the temple he had spoken of was his body. So Jesus was saying that he was the replacement temple, the new place where God was specially present.
We saw in our last scene from the Old Testament that the temple was the dwelling place of God and that in any spiritual sense it had been completely removed from the building in Jerusalem. Only now is it back again in the person of Jesus. Jesus called himself “I AM” on some 14 occasions according to John. Seven times this was with another word such as ‘I am the bread of life’, but on another 7 occasions he said ‘I AM’ with no other word (usually translated I am he) thus using the Old Testament word for God. He could not have made who he was clearer.

If he was the Messiah that meant his kingdom had arrived. Matthew tells us Jesus said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” and proclaimed the good news of the kingdom. And, of course, he framed many of his parables with ‘the kingdom is like … ‘. Understanding of what Jesus was saying is a surprisingly modern thing. Not so very long ago there were arguments between those who thought the kingdom was what the church was doing and those who thought it referred mainly to what would happen when Jesus returned in glory. It is now clearly understood that he inaugurated his kingdom during his lifetime, that it is still here, but has not yet become clear to all the world because it is not yet here in all its eventual glory. That is summed up in the phrase ‘now, but not yet’ which is implicit in the prayer Jesus taught his disciples: ‘your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’ Understanding and holding that tension is enormously important for all of us who seek to follow Jesus.

In seeing that the Kingdom has been established by Jesus during his lifetime we have also seen that beyond any doubt he was the Messiah. And so we come to the third point: the Kingdom was not what was expected then or even what many people, even today, think it should be like.

It starts with the story of a baby, a baby because of whom all the other male babies in the immediate area were killed. He was surrounded by suffering before he could say a word! Then he was a refugee in Egypt for several years. He lived in obscurity for 30 years. When he finally started to speak publically he was identified as Mary’ son and the brother of James, Joseph, Simon and Judas, or Joseph’s son, not as himself. Before long he had to go up to the great festivals in Jerusalem quietly, secretly, because of the authorities.

Then, of course, he had to suffer the terrible pain and horrible indignities of crucifixion. All those things that happened to him fitted well with the great prophecy of Isaiah in chapter 53, “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him.”

In all that suffering he was the King of Love. He introduced into the world a much more positive idea that people should look after each other, care for the weak and struggling, be compassionate, than there had ever been before.

He was the Messiah; he had founded his Kingdom, the Kingdom of God; it was not at all like the Kingdom they expected and wanted.

So what?

To put it in a phrase: ‘the way up is down’. It was for Jesus. It may well be for us. He said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” In saying that he showed how complete was his understanding of human nature. It is an amazing thing that Christians, dedicated to love and peace, should be so attacked and mistreated all round the world. To be sure there have been episodes in church history where the antagonism has been merited but the general trend of church history has been for peace and love. One might wonder what the world would be like if Jesus had never lived, never taught, never set his great example of how to bear suffering.

Paul understood very well the implications of setting out to follow Jesus as Lord and Master. . He said, “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death”.

Peter said, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”

All this is a hard thing to understand, hard to believe that this is really the way that it is – particularly if you live in one of the parts of the world where open persecution is not known or minimal. If however you are not so fortunate and live somewhere where it is really tough to be a Christian I think you will understand what Jesus, Paul and Peter meant very much better, and, if not exactly glorying in your difficulties, understanding that they are what strengthen and toughen the Christian and the church.

In the eyes of the world these things are down and to be avoided at any cost, but in the Kingdom of our great Lord and Saviour “ the way up is down”!

122:2 Our feet are standing within your gates, Jerusalem;

122:3 Jerusalem, that is built as a city that is compact together;

122:4 where the tribes go up, even Yah's tribes, according to an ordinance for Israel, to give thanks to the name of Yahweh.

122:5 For there are set thrones for judgment, the thrones of David's house.

122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Those who love you will prosper.

122:7 Peace be within your walls, and prosperity within your palaces.

122:8 For my brothers' and companions' sakes, I will now say, "Peace be within you."

122:9 For the sake of the house of Yahweh our God, I will seek your good.

1. he tells them his name;
   
2. he carries out many overt acts demonstrating the power of his activity on their behalf;
   
3. he stations himself in the middle of his people to travel with them. That is knowledge, action and presence.

1. “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites:
   
2. ‘I am has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites,
   
3. ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers —the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob —has sent me to you’”.
   

Listen to my prayer.

From the end of the earth,

I will call to you, when my heart is overwhelmed.

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

For you have been a refuge for me, a strong tower from the enemy.

I will dwell in your tent forever.

I will take refuge in the shelter of your wings.

Selah.

For you, God, have heard my vows.

You have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

You will prolong the king's life;

his years shall be for generations.

He shall be enthroned in God's presence forever.

Appoint your loving kindness and truth,

that they may preserve him.

So I will sing praise to your name forever, that I may fulfill my vows daily.

1. a promise of land,
2. a promise of many descendants,
3. a promise of great blessing through him,
4. a warning that the world will be divided into those who are blessed and those who are cursed through him.

1. the land is no longer Israel. Paul said that ‘Abraham would be heir of the worlds”. Romans 4:13.
2. the many descendants are not just national Israel, indeed not really national Israel much at all now but us! Paul said: If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:29.
3. the great blessing has come through Jesus Christ: his life, death and resurrection.
4. Paul updated the warning when he said in Romans 1: 18, 19: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.”

Often we hear the Psalms one by one, but today we offer you the chance to hear a group of Psalms read as a collection!

For the director of music. A song. A psalm.

1 Shout for joy to God, all the earth!
2 Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious.
3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.
4 All the earth bows down to you;
they sing praise to you, they sing the praises of your name.”

5 Come and see what God has done,
his awesome deeds for mankind!
6 He turned the sea into dry land,
they passed through the waters on foot—
come, let us rejoice in him.
7 He rules forever by his power,
his eyes watch the nations—
let not the rebellious rise up against him.

8 Praise our God, all peoples,
let the sound of his praise be heard;
9 he has preserved our lives
and kept our feet from slipping.
10 For you, God, tested us;
you refined us like silver.
11 You brought us into prison
and laid burdens on our backs.
12 You let people ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water,
but you brought us to a place of abundance.

13 I will come to your temple with burnt offerings
and fulfil my vows to you—
14 vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke when I was in trouble.
15 I will sacrifice fat animals to you
and an offering of rams;
I will offer bulls and goats.

16 Come and hear, all you who fear God;
let me tell you what he has done for me.
17 I cried out to him with my mouth;
his praise was on my tongue.
18 If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened;
19 but God has surely listened
and has heard my prayer.
20 Praise be to God,
who has not rejected my prayer
or withheld his love from me!

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.

1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us—
2 so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.
3 May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you.
4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth.
5 May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you.
6 The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us.
7 May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. A song.

1 May God arise, may his enemies be scattered; may his foes flee before him.
2 May you blow them away like smoke— as wax melts before the fire, may the wicked perish before God.
3 But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.
4 Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before him—his name is the LORD.
5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.
6 God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.
7 When you, God, went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness,
8 the earth shook, the heavens poured down rain, before God, the One of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel.
9 You gave abundant showers, O God; you refreshed your weary inheritance.
10 Your people settled in it, and from your bounty, God, you provided for the poor.
11 The Lord announces the word, and the women who proclaim it are a mighty throng:
12 “Kings and armies flee in haste; the women at home divide the plunder.
13 Even while you sleep among the sheep pens, the wings of my dove are sheathed with silver, its feathers with shining gold.”
14 When the Almighty scattered the kings in the land, it was like snow fallen on Mount Zalmon.
15 Mount Bashan, majestic mountain, Mount Bashan, rugged mountain,
16 why gaze in envy, you rugged mountain, at the mountain where God chooses to reign, where the LORD himself will dwell forever?
17 The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands; the Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary.
18 When you ascended on high, you took many captives; you received gifts from people,
even from the rebellious— that you, LORD God, might dwell there.
19 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.
20 Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.
21 Surely God will crush the heads of his enemies, the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.
22 The Lord says, “I will bring them from Bashan; I will bring them from the depths of the sea,
23 that your feet may wade in the blood of your foes, while the tongues of your dogs have their share.”
24 Your procession, God, has come into view, the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary.
25 In front are the singers, after them the musicians; with them are the young women playing the timbrels.
26 Praise God in the great congregation; praise the LORD in the assembly of Israel.
27 There is the little tribe of Benjamin, leading them, there the great throng of Judah’s princes, and there the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.
28 Summon your power, God; show us your strength, our God, as you have done before.
29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem kings will bring you gifts.
30 Rebuke the beast among the reeds, the herd of bulls among the calves of the nations.
Humbled, may the beast bring bars of silver. Scatter the nations who delight in war.
31 Envoys will come from Egypt; Cush will submit herself to God.
32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth, sing praise to the Lord,
33 to him who rides across the highest heavens, the ancient heavens, who thunders with mighty voice.
34 Proclaim the power of God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose power is in the heavens.
35 You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.
Praise be to God!

For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David.

1 Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me.
3 I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched.
My eyes fail, looking for my God.
4 Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me.
I am forced to restore what I did not steal.
5 You, God, know my folly; my guilt is not hidden from you.
6 Lord, the LORD Almighty, may those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me;
God of Israel, may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me.
7 For I endure scorn for your sake, and shame covers my face.
8 I am a foreigner to my own family, a stranger to my own mother’s children;
9 for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.
10 When I weep and fast, I must endure scorn;
11 when I put on sackcloth, people make sport of me.
12 Those who sit at the gate mock me, and I am the song of the drunkards.
13 But I pray to you, LORD, in the time of your favor;
in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation.
14 Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink;
deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters.
15 Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me.
16 Answer me, LORD, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me.
17 Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.
18 Come near and rescue me; deliver me because of my foes.
19 You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed; all my enemies are before you.
20 Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless;
I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none.
21 They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.
22 May the table set before them become a snare; may it become retribution and a trap.
23 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.
24 Pour out your wrath on them; let your fierce anger overtake them.
25 May their place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in their tents.
26 For they persecute those you wound and talk about the pain of those you hurt.
27 Charge them with crime upon crime; do not let them share in your salvation.
28 May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous.
29 But as for me, afflicted and in pain— may your salvation, God, protect me.
30 I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.
31 This will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hooves.
32 The poor will see and be glad— you who seek God, may your hearts live!
33 The LORD hears the needy and does not despise his captive people.
34 Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and all that move in them,
35 for God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah.
Then people will settle there and possess it;
36 the children of his servants will inherit it, and those who love his name will dwell there.

For the director of music. Of David. A petition.

1 Hasten, O God, to save me; come quickly, LORD, to help me.
2 May those who want to take my life be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace.
3 May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!” turn back because of their shame.
4 But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say, “The LORD is great!”
5 But as for me, I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God.
You are my help and my deliverer; LORD, do not delay.

(From The Message)
Hallelujah!

Praise God in his holy house of worship, praise him under the open skies;
Praise him for his acts of power, praise him for his magnificent greatness;
Praise with a blast on the trumpet, praise by strumming soft strings;
Praise him with castanets and dance, praise him with banjo and flute;
Praise him with cymbals and a big bass drum,
Praise him with fiddles and mandolin.
Let every living, breathing creature praise God!

Hallelujah!

G'day! Today we are praying a series of prayers concerning the Ukraine Russian conflict and war. Молитви за Україну / Molytvy za Ukrayinu

Come! Let's pray together and say your "Amen!" or "May it be so, Lord!"

1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God – 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake. 6 And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:1-6)

Imagine if you will, that you are a member of this 1st century Roman church. Rome, the beating heart of the great Roman Empire. Now imagine the sense of mystery and wonder that you are feeling at the news that the Church has received a letter from somebody called Paul. Did you know who Paul was? Paul had obviously heard of them, probably through its reputation, which had spread throughout the empire. As well as through personal connections with members of that community who had travelled or moved there.

All roads led to Rome. Paul was patently aware of their faith in Jesus Christ, which was being proclaimed throughout the known world, the Roman empire. Paul commences writing this grand letter to the church of Rome! He starts by initially planting a seed and as his readers work their way through the letter the seed grows in their mind, becomes a seedling and ultimately reaches the pinnacle of its growth and becomes a mighty oak or cedar tree, towering, passionate and with deep roots.

All roads in the Bible, people say, lead to this letter of Romans: a book of passion and depth. Perhaps a new definition of Christian joy – passionate action and depth of thought, working together radiating Jesus Christ and his gospel.

1-2 God, come close. Come quickly! Open your ears-it's my voice you're hearing! Treat my prayer as sweet incense rising; my raised hands are my evening prayers.

 3-7 Post a guard at my mouth, God, set a watch at the door of my lips.
Don't let me so much as dream of evil or thoughtlessly fall into bad company.
And these people who only do wrong- don't let them lure me with their sweet talk!
May the Just One set me straight!
May the Kind One correct me!
Don't let sin anoint my head.
I'm praying hard against their evil ways!
Oh, let their leaders be pushed off a high rock cliff; make them face the music.
Like a rock pulverized by a maul, let their bones be scattered at the gates of hell.

 8-10 But God, dear Lord, I only have eyes for you.
Since I've run for dear life to you, take good care of me.
Protect me from their evil scheming, from all their demonic subterfuge.
 Let the wicked fall flat on their faces, while I walk off without a scratch.

 (From the Message)

I wonder how you have changed over the years. It is over 45 years now since I first became a Christian and started following Jesus Christ. I haven't fallen away from Him in that time, but I have known some people who have. A question as we start: "How can we, as 21st century Christians, keep from falling away?". The answer I believe, is what I would call it the COPE strategy: Consider, Persevere and Encourage.

• Moses was cool
• In Comes Jesus
• How is Jesus better than Moses?
• What about us?

Conclusion

If you would call yourself a Christian and you are unsure where you are, then please do look back and remember what Jesus has done for you. Consider Him as you look back to your first profession of faith in Him. Consider that just as He died, you died in the waters of baptism. Consider that just as He rose to physical life, you rose from the waters of baptism and will also rise again when you physically die. Consider that just as Jesus will be glorified, so too will you be glorified before the Father - if you hold out until the end. Be assured of who you are - you are a child of the living God - hold out to the end. He has a firm grip on you, so maintain your grip on Him! Remember who you are! The way to cope with the rigours of 21st century life as a Christian believer is to keep considering, keep persevering and keep encouraging. Thank you...

148:1 Praise Yah! Praise Yahweh from the heavens! Praise him in the heights!

148:2 Praise him, all his angels! Praise him, all his army!

148:3 Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him, all you shining stars!

148:4 Praise him, you heavens of heavens, You waters that are above the heavens.

148:5 Let them praise the name of Yahweh, For he commanded, and they were created.

148:6 He has also established them forever and ever. He has made a decree which will not pass away.

148:7 Praise Yahweh from the earth, you great sea creatures, and all depths!

148:8 Lightning and hail, snow and clouds; stormy wind, fulfilling his word;

148:9 mountains and all hills; fruit trees and all cedars;

148:10 wild animals and all livestock; small creatures and flying birds;

148:11 kings of the earth and all peoples; princes and all judges of the earth; 148:12 both young men and maidens; old men and children:

148:13 let them praise the name of Yahweh, for his name alone is exalted. His glory is above the earth and the heavens.

148:14 He has lifted up the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near to him. Praise Yah!

Repeatedly in this book, God has said “Be holy, for I am holy”. But what is holiness? As we have glimpsed in the last 2 weeks, holiness is what separates God from all His creation. For God alone is holy and full of glory. Remember what Aaron had to do when entering the holy of holies on the day of Atonement? He had to create a wall of smoky incense, so that he wouldn’t glimpse God’s glory and holiness and be struck down dead, like his sons Nadab and Abihu. Holiness is in fact the sum of all God’s attributes. God is holiness and holiness is God.

1 O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.

2 You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I'm far away.

3 You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do.

4 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.

5 You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!

7 I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!

8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the deepest hell, you are there.

9 If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans,

10 even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.

11 I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night-

12 but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous-how well I know it.

15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!

18 I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!

19 O God, if only you would destroy the wicked! Get out of my life, you murderers!

20 They blaspheme you; your enemies misuse your name.

21 O Lord, shouldn't I hate those who hate you? Shouldn't I despise those who oppose you?

22 Yes, I hate them with total hatred, for your enemies are my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

To download all 150 Psalms to your device,

click or tap here to visit our Psalm page on this website.

To download all 150 Psalms to your device,

click or tap here to visit our Psalm page on this website.

Introduction

1. Great joy Leviticus 9:22-24
2. Great tragedy Leviticus 10:1-11
3. A God of Judgement
4. A God of Wrath
5. So what’s all this got to do with us today?
6. New Covenant?
7. Called to service
8. Judged for our service

Conclusion

Listen to the mp3 file to see what this fabulous piece of Scripture is about and how it is relevant to you today...

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.

2 Give thanks to the God of gods.

3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords:

4 to him who alone does great wonders,

5 who by his understanding made the heavens,

6 who spread out the earth upon the waters,

7 who made the great lights-

8 the sun to govern the day,

9 the moon and stars to govern the night;

10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt

11 and brought Israel out from among them

12 with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;

13 to him who divided the Red Sea asunder

14 and brought Israel through the midst of it,

15 but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;

16 to him who led his people through the desert,

17 who struck down great kings,

18 and killed mighty kings-

19 Sihon king of the Amorites

20 and Og king of Bashan-

21 and gave their land as an inheritance,

22 an inheritance to his servant Israel;

23 to the One who remembered us in our low estate

24 and freed us from our enemies,

25 and who gives food to every creature.

26 Give thanks to the God of heaven.

To download all 150 Psalms to your device,

click or tap here to visit our Psalm page on this website.

Romans 8:31-39 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

As it is written:

 "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Come and listen to discover more!

we were like those who dream.

126:2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,

and our tongue with singing.

Then they said among the nations,

"Yahweh has done great things for them."

126:3 Yahweh has done great things for us, and we are glad.

126:4 Restore our fortunes again,

Yahweh, like the streams in the Negev.

126:5 Those who sow in tears will reap in joy.

126:6 He who goes out weeping, carrying seed for sowing,

will certainly come again with joy, carrying his sheaves.

His words are dancing all around me.

Spirit moving deep inside me.

My heart reaching, touching His.

"Go and find one, bring them to me.

My broken vessels need my arms."

Turning focus, realign.

Priorities of my own design, bow to holy breath.

Mud and water, lick my knees.

Windy raining, battles peace.

Moving still, I seek His face.

Dropping, praying, eyes tight clenched.

Not my strength but His alone pulls me,

pushing, holding, reaching,

bringing to His mighty throne.

Breathing, grasping sacrifice.

Mercy's beauty, Pearl of price.

Giving one and then another,

just one more,

I turn to go.

Seeking, finding,

one more lamb to bring to Holy,

healing hands.

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?

Recited by Jenny

Some unforgivable idea

beckons from beyond my pain.

My attention centers on the darkness that suffocates my brain.

Come with me, I hear a voice say,

as it injects me deeper into the fathoms

of my hidden experiences.

"Hello Sweetheart,"

the voice invades my head.

"How was your day? Is your heart doing well?"

I hope.

Another voice calls.

Come with me. Listen to the rain.

It waits patiently to drown your being.

My mouth opens,

To the vain pressure of silence, the thief of my intent to protest.

Life, vitality, love spin in my stomach,

dizzy, with no place to go.

My feeble attempt to escape

plunges me deeper into my leech dried veins.

My panicked heart cramps,

grasping for the crimson oasis that taunts my survival.

Desperately,

I cling as my lungs collapse,

in a bed of eternal delirium.

Pale eyes look up,

confused at the figure before me.

His soft compassion, invites and assures me.

He clasps my hand in His.

Through the numbness I can hear his quiet voice,

longingly call my name.

"It's time to go child",

he encourages,

as I gingerly touch the hole in his hand.

My pain gone, I look to Him.

"I'm ready,"

I cry,

as gently He pulls me into His peace.

My Abba Father,

my daddy and I cross the rocky shores

of earthly existence, together.

He sets me down and holds me at his side as quietly,

I gaze into His promise of gold.

My knees cave beneath me.

My face on his perfect feet,

those feet that faithfully carried my life,

my breath, my soul,

with each step that I did not deserve.

"Well done, my daughter",

His majestic voice soothes,

"welcome home!"

Jesus has now ascended back to the right hand of the Father. The 12 apostles are now back in Jerusalem and waiting. Waiting for the Holy Spirit to come. The coming of God the Holy Spirit is in fulfilment of the promise that Almighty and All-powerful God would indwell all those people who chose to follow Him. This event was prophesied many years before. An example is from the prophet Ezekiel:

“And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” (Ezekiel 36:27)

Throughout His earthly ministry Jesus had talked about how after He departed that God the Holy Spirit would come (John 15:26). Starting today and over the coming few days we will look at the Holy Spirit and into the book of Acts seeing how the Holy Spirit worked within and through the early Church. Let's look together!

Click or tap here to download this podcast as a mp3

7:1 Yahweh, my God,
I take refuge in you.
Save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me,
7:2 lest they tear apart my soul like a lion,
ripping it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.
7:3 Yahweh, my God, if I have done this,
if there is iniquity in my hands,
7:4 if I have rewarded evil to him who was at peace with me
(yes, if I have delivered him who without cause was my adversary),
7:5 let the enemy pursue my soul, and overtake it;
yes, let him tread my life down to the earth,
and lay my glory in the dust.

Selah.

7:6 Arise, Yahweh, in your anger.
Lift up yourself against the rage of my adversaries.
Awake for me. You have commanded judgement.
7:7 Let the congregation of the peoples surround you.
Rule over them on high.
7:8 Yahweh administers judgement to the peoples.
Judge me, Yahweh, according to my righteousness,
and to my integrity that is in me.
7:9 Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end,
but establish the righteous;
their minds and hearts are searched by the righteous God.
7:10 My shield is with God,
who saves the upright in heart.
7:11 God is a righteous judge,
yes, a God who has indignation every day.
7:12 If a man doesn’t relent,
he will sharpen his sword;
he has bent and strung his bow.
7:13 He has also prepared for himself the instruments of death.
He makes ready his flaming arrows.
7:14 Behold, he travails with iniquity.
Yes, he has conceived mischief,
and brought forth falsehood.
7:15 He has dug a hole,
and has fallen into the pit which he made.
7:16 The trouble he causes shall return to his own head.
His violence shall come down on the crown of his own head.
7:17 I will give thanks to Yahweh according to his righteousness,
and will sing praise to the name of Yahweh Most High.

To download all 150 Psalms to your device,

click or tap here to visit our Psalm page on this website.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TshnK4kJcPk]

G'day! Welcome to Partakers and we are on day 2 of the series "The Art of Tickling" addressing the question of "How can traditional churches and those with older congregations use new media without excluding people?"

I think that everybody has some measure of talent that can be used, including those who would ordinarily be dismissed from having any input into Christian worship and thinking, such as the elderly and those we earlier identified as being from the excluded group! We have to use people's talents, knowledge and wisdom, whatever it maybe, and whoever they maybe, and put them online using New Media! We combine those talents, knowledge and wisdom with the methods of New Media: Websites, Blogs, Mobile Applications, Social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Video and Audio. We have to also ensure these people are safe! Don't disclose too much personal information about them! Also ensure they get some measure of feedback, because that will encourage them to do more! Things that can be put on with New Media are photography, poetry, bible talks, testimonies, hobbies, interests and short stories. We could make an impact using New Media!

Another idea is New Media Days at your church, or churches together! You could hold a regular event, say quarterly, at your church where people can come and contribute something using New Media. For want of a better name call it a New Media Activity Day or something like that.  It would be a good way to get the younger members of the church to interact with the slightly less young members of the church! Using New Media to build and encourage the churches helps build stronger communities..

Another idea of how to include people in this new media is to get them to pray for people you tickle and interact with online! Facebook and Twitter are rife with prayer requests from people! Take those prayer requests and sensitively get members of your church to pray! Get them interested! What a great way to include them! If possible, do ask however the person needing prayer if you can ask others though, as some people may not want you to! You don't need to give names or even initials - God knows their name!

Somebody could get beside them regularly and help them - building community! For example, they could record several podcasts or videos at one time and then distributed over a long period of time.  Or it could be once a month or whatever! Have regular monthly spots on your church blog so that on the 5th of each month, people know who will be on!  Here is a good example! In your Church, I reckon the ladies there have amazing recipes! Why not garner the recipes, put online - with photographic evidence and taste tests!  Another way we can include those who wouldn't necessarily want to be involved in New Media! For example, on the 5th of November Marjory shares a recipe she has used for years! This particular poem was recorded by George who can't get out much but has a fine strong voice still. Somebody has taken the time to be with these two people, has taken Marjory's recipe, had it recorded by George on a smart phone and put it online! How about that for a bit of tickling?

The elderly, in particular, have a lot of knowledge and wisdom which can be distributed.  The retired company chairman has invaluable advice she could give in regards to how the unemployed people in your church and community could do better to make them more employable.  Writing interview and application tips for example!

Now here is a potential problem! For those without access to technology, there is the use of facilities in most libraries. Where I live, the libraries run courses for those wanting to know more about being online! Whatever the person's interest is, it can be put online! Or how about this! Passing on older technology for people to use! We all upgrade at some point, so why not give on the obsolete technology to those who maybe able to use it! And even help them to use it!

• Get people to pray for those you interact with using New Media!
• Get those people to pray for YOU as you use and develop New Media.
• Get beside people and get them using New Media!
• Have regular New Media Activity Days!

We can do it! Let's go tickle! Now, you may well be here representing a large church! Go for it - you have the numbers! What is stopping you? Or you may be here representing a small church. You can go tickling with New Media as well... Whatever church you represent, here is a bit of a radical idea. How about getting churches to work together in some way as a New Media expression within your local community? Use your blogs and other New Media to reach out into your local communities. Be willing to participate in New Media activities of your community. Large numbers of local communities are represented on Facebook. Instead of starting a new page for your church there, be willing contributors on the community page.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=le2i0NobMms]

G'day! Welcome! We are starting a new brief series based on a session I did at the 2011 Christians in New Media Awards and Conference. This session addressed the question of "How can traditional churches and those with older congregations use new media without excluding people?"

Now you may well be asking what is this New Media or Social Media as it is also known. It is Websites, Blogs, Mobile Applications, Video, Audio and Social Networks such as Facebook and Twitter! At the conference, we were given the opportunities to investigate how to do those 8 things, to a greater degree of skill! This series, based on that session is about putting that knowledge into practise!

Now instead of using our question each time I want to address, I have summed it up into one word - Tickle!  Here is what Tickle stands for!

Teach & Train

Interact & Inspire

Create and Communicate

Kind and Kindle

Love and Learn

Encourage and Explore

So by the time this short series is over, hopefully we will have learnt a bit more about the art of Tickling and how to get people using it!

However, before we know how to tickle, there are two questions to answer. Our first question is why. You may well be here and not know why you should be using new media and tickle! Why do we want to know how to use New Media and include everybody? The church of the New Testament had the 3 r's! There were seen as radical! There were seen to take risks as led by the Holy Spirit! There were seen to be relevant to their communities! How far from this has your church gone?

• It can shows church acting as a community!
• Gives the excluded and elderly an opportunity to know they are loved, valued and included.
• Gives those same people, the chance to use their talents and spiritual gifts!
• Further along those lines it gives them an opportunity to further enhance and be trained in the use of their talents and knowledge!

So that's why!

But now a second question remains before we get to how. That question is: Who are we excluding - either deliberately or accidentally? Here are the kinds of people, in our churches, who I think are generally excluded from participating:

• Elderly
• Home confined & isolated
• Disabled
• Homeless
• Unemployed
• Poor - financially and technologically
• Disinterested and self-excluded

Part 2 will be tomorrow and that will be about ways in which I have tickled. Thank you.

132:1 Yahweh, remember David and all his affliction,

132:2 how he swore to Yahweh, and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:

132:3 “Surely I will not come into the structure of my house, nor go up into my bed;

132:4 I will not give sleep to my eyes, or slumber to my eyelids;

132:5 until I find out a place for Yahweh, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

132:6 Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah. We found it in the field of Jaar:

132:7 “We will go into his dwelling place. We will worship at his footstool.

132:8 Arise, Yahweh, into your resting place; you, and the ark of your strength.

132:9 Let your priest be clothed with righteousness. Let your saints shout for joy!”

132:10 For your servant David’s sake, don’t turn away the face of your anointed one.

132:11 Yahweh has sworn to David in truth. He will not turn from it: “I will set the fruit of your body on your throne.

132:12 If your children will keep my covenant, my testimony that I will teach them, their children also will sit on your throne forevermore.”

132:13 For Yahweh has chosen Zion. He has desired it for his habitation.

132:14 “This is my resting place forever. Here I will live, for I have desired it.

132:15 I will abundantly bless her provision. I will satisfy her poor with bread.

132:16 Her priests I will also clothe with salvation. Her saints will shout aloud for joy.

132:17 There I will make the horn of David to bud. I have ordained a lamp for my anointed. 132:18 I will clothe his enemies with shame, but on himself, his crown will be resplendent.”

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.

G’day! Welcome to Partakers and to Wednesday Wisdom, where we are listening to what the Bible has to say through the Wisdom literature of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. Come on in!

1 Does not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?
2 She stands in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths.
3 She cries at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.
4 to you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man.
5 O you simple, understand wisdom: and, you fools, be you of an understanding heart.
6 Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things.

7 For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing deceitful or perverse in them.
9 They are all plain to him that understands, and right to them that find knowledge.
10 Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.
11 For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.
12 I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.

13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the peverse mouth, do I hate.
14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.
15 By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.
16 By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.
17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.
18 Riches and honour are with me; yes, durable riches and righteousness.

19 My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.
20 I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:
21 That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.
22 The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.
23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.
24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.

25 Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:
26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.
27 When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:
28 When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:
29 When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:
30 Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;

31 Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.
32 Now therefore listen to me, O you children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.
33 Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.
34 Blessed is the man that hears me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.
35 For whoso finds me finds life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord.
36 But he that sins against me wrongs his own soul: all they that hate me love death.

(read by Pammy)

 
Praise Yahweh, my soul! All that is within me, praise his holy name!
Praise Yahweh, my soul, and don't forget all his benefits;
who forgives all your sins; who heals all your diseases;
who redeems your life from destruction; who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies;  who satisfies your desire with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Yahweh executes righteous acts, and justice for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the children of Israel.
Yahweh is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness.
He will not always accuse; neither will he stay angry forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor repaid us for our iniquities.

For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his loving kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Like a father has compassion on his children, so Yahweh has compassion on those who fear him.
For he knows how we are made. He remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass. As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

For the wind passes over it, and it is gone. Its place remembers it no more.
But Yahweh's loving kindness is from everlasting to everlasting with those who fear him, his righteousness to children's children;
to those who keep his covenant, to those who remember to obey his precepts.
Yahweh has established his throne in the heavens. His kingdom rules over all.
Praise Yahweh, you angels of his, who are mighty in strength, who fulfill his word, obeying the voice of his word.

Praise Yahweh, all you armies of his, you servants of his, who do his pleasure.
Praise Yahweh, all you works of his, in all places of his dominion.
Praise Yahweh, my soul!

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.

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.

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.

1 Praise the Lord!
Let all that I am praise the Lord.
2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live.
I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.
3 Don't put your confidence in powerful people;
there is no help for you there.
4 When they breathe their last,
they return to the earth,
and all their plans die with them.
5 But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
6 He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them.
He keeps every promise forever.
7 He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry.
The Lord frees the prisoners.
8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down.
The Lord loves the godly.
9 The Lord protects the foreigners among us.
He cares for the orphans and widows,
but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.
10 The Lord will reign forever.
He will be your God, O Jerusalem,
throughout the generations.

Who is the Judge? Almighty God is the judge of all the earth (Hebrews 12v23). God the Father has given all judgment to the Son, Jesus Christ (John 5v22-27)! All of humanity is destined to die once and after that to face judgment (Hebrews 9v27). But what kind of judgment, and for which kind of people?

Judgment of unbelievers For all those who do not profess Jesus Christ as Lord and God in this earthly life, judgment will come to them. They will appear before the great white throne of Judgment (Revelation 20v11-15) to give an account for their sin and wickedness. Because they have no righteousness of their own to pay for their life of sin and wickedness, they will be cast into the lake of fire with satan and his angels (Revelation 20v15; Matthew 25v41). This punishment is eternal (Matthew 25v46).

Judgment of Christians There will also be a judgment for all those who profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour! Did you know that? Not a judgment for sins and wickedness, because their sins are forgiven! Not judged for sin, because this has already been judged (Isaiah 53v4-6; 1 Peter 2v24).They will be accepted by the Lord Jesus Christ! Accepted because during their life on earth, they responded to the offer of forgiveness from God, which is an act of grace. This group of people are forgiven through the Lord Jesus Christ, and his blood that was shed as he died on the cross.

However, we will be judged for the things we have done, with the gifts and talents we have been given!. We will all, if we profess to be Christian, give an account of ourselves to God (Romans 14v10), and will be judged according to what we have done with what we have been given (2 Corinthians 5v10). The quality of our work will be tested (1 Corinthians 3v11-15), and our motives will be exposed. Exposed as to whether things were done for God's glory (1 Corinthians 4v4-5) or for our own glory.

As we give account of the opportunities and abilities entrusted to us (Matthew 25v14-30), rewards may be gained or lost (1 Corinthians 3v14-15). Rewards such as the Incorruptible crown (1 Corinthians 9v25); the Crown of glory (1 Peter 5v4); Crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4v8); Crown of rejoicing (1 Thessalonians 2v19) and the Crown of life (James 1v12).

So as you go, do all you can for the glory of God, as you submit to the Son Jesus Christ in the power of God the Holy Spirit! Go and tell somebody the good news of Jesus Christ, so that there may well be one person with you in heaven, because you told them about the free gift of grace who is the Lord Jesus Christ!

Today we finish this brief series by looking at how to become a follower of this Jesus! We look at how you can start walking with Jesus. There is no great mystery to it and it is very simple. A simplicity which confounds the wise!Come on in!

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” John 8:12 New Living Translation (NLT)

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Today we glimpse together at Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ who we I seek to obey in every facet of life. And it is this Jesus whom I depend upon and personally know to be totally reliable in every way. Is this your Jesus? Come on in to hear more about this WOW about Jesus Christ of Nazareth!

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? Matthew 16:24-26 (New Living Translation)

Today we glimpse together at the loveliness and joy of Jesus! Come on in to hear what we say about this WOW about Jesus Christ of Nazareth

“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!" John 15:9-11 (New Living Translation)

We continue apace into the twentieth century and hear the story of a friend of mine. Her name is Jenny and she is from Taiwan. Let's look together at how and why she started her Christian journey and the relevancy of Jesus Christ to her life! Come and listen to her story of faith...

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (New Living Translation)

G’day! Welcome to Partakers and to Wednesday Wisdom, where we are listening to what the Bible has to say through the Wisdom literature of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. Come on in!

1 My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with you.
2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of your eye.
3 Bind them upon your fingers, write them upon the table of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, You are my sister; and call understanding your kinswoman:
5 That they may keep you from the strange woman, from the stranger which flatters with her words.

6 For at the window of my house I looked through my frame,
7 And observed among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,
8 Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,
9 In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:
10 And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of a harlot, and most subtle of heart.
11 (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:
12 Now is she without, now in the streets, and lies in wait at every corner.)

13 So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said to him,
14 I have peace offerings with me; this day have I paid my vows.
15 Therefore I came forward to meet you, diligently to seek your face, and I have found you.
16 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.
19 For the master of the house is not at home, he is gone a long journey:
20 He has taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed.
21 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.
22 He goes after her straightway, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;
23 Till a dart strikes through his liver; as a bird hastens to the snare, and knows not that it is for his life.

24 Listen closely to me now therefore, O you children, and attend to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not your heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.
26 For she has cast down many wounded: yes, many strong men have been slain by her.
27 Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.

That’s it for today! Come back every day to Partakers Podcasts to hear something to encourage and uplift you as a Christian disciple, regardless of where you are in the world. You can also purchase our books via Amazon by clicking here

"He returned to Nazareth, his hometown. When he taught there in the synagogue, everyone was amazed and said, “Where does he get this wisdom and the power to do miracles?” Matthew 13:54 (NLT)

Free Church minister in England during World War I:

If we have never sought, we seek You now;

Your eyes burn through the dark, our only stars;

We must have sight of thorn-pricks on your brow,

We must have You, O Jesus of the Scars.

The heavens frighten us; they are too calm;

In all the universe we have no place.

Our wounds are hurting us; where is the balm?

Lord Jesus, by Your Scars, we claim Your grace.

If, when the doors are shut, You draw near,

Only reveal those hands, that side of Yours;

We know to-day what wounds are, have no fear,

Show us Your Scars, we know the countersign.

The other gods were strong; but You were weak;

They rode, but You did stumble to a throne;

But to our wounds only God's wounds can speak,

And not a god has wounds, but You alone.

• Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd - Matthew 9:35-36
• As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it - Luke 19:41
• Jesus wept - John 11:35

Prayers of John Wycliffe

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! Today we are praying prayers of the 14th century man of Christian faith, John Wycliffe...

A prayer for grace

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. (James 3:17)
Lord, give me grace to hold righteousness in all things,
that I may lead a clean and blessed life, and wisely flee evil.
Help me to understand the treacherous deceit of the devil,
so that I may not be fooled by any of his lies.
Make me mild, peaceable, considerate, and self-controlled,
so that I may act sincerely for the good of others.
And make me steadfast and strong.
Finally, Lord, let me be quiet in words,
so that I may not speak foolishly, but only what is appropriate.
Amen

A prayer for the presence of Jesus

But they urged him strongly, ‘Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.’ So he went in to stay with them. (Luke 24:29)

My Lord, from here on never leave me,
but stay and dwell with me;
for your presence is my only comfort and consolation,
just as your absence is my only sorrow.
O Holy Spirit, come into my heart,
and draw me so near to God,
that the things of the world may be as nothing to me.
Inflame my heart with your love,
and there let it burn without ceasing.
Come, I pray, for you are my true joy,
my only desire,
and my sweetest love.
Amen.

A prayer for faith and courage

That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.(2 Corinthians 12:10)

O loving Christ draw me, weak as I am, to your side,
for if you do not draw me, I can never follow you.
Give me a brave spirit, so that it may always stand ready and strong.
And when my flesh is weak,
let your grace go before me,
come beside me,
and follow after me,
for without you, I can do nothing—least of all suffer pain or death.
Grant me a fearless heart,
a true faith, firm hope, and a perfect love,
so that for your sake I may lay down my life with patience and joy.
Amen

Today we glimpse together at the majesty of Jesus:
Come on in to hear what we say about this WOW about Jesus Christ of Nazareth

At the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea — an event significantly influenced the Christian faith and continues to unify believers across centuries and traditions. Convened in 325 by Emperor Constantine in what is now modern-day Turkey, the Council of Nicaea resulted in the creation of the Nicene Creed: the first universal summary of Christian belief. 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!

Nicene Creed

What we believe as Christians...

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 glory to judge the living and the dead,

and his kingdom will have no end.

~

We believe in the Holy Spirit,

the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son.

With the Father and the Son,

He is worshipped and glorified.

He has spoken through the Prophets.

~

We believe in one, holy,

catholic (universal), and apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We look for the resurrection of the dead,

and the life of the world to come.

~

Amen

Today we glimpse together at the uniqueness of Jesus... Come on in to see what we say about the uniqueness of Jesus Christ of Nazareth which should cause to go "WOW!"

The Apostle John, writing in 1 John 5:9-12 - "We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."

In my more smug moments I used to congratulate myself for being a Christian. How proud I was that I, was a Christian and that God was a jolly lucky God that I had decided to follow Him. It was during one of my less self-deluded moments, that I examined myself and I found God pricking my conscience and correcting me, and I read the New Testament "For the Son of Man came, not to be served but to give His life as a ransom for many" (Mark10:45).

There are many pictures of Jesus, but which one are you walking through life with?

~

Partakers Friday Prayers

for the Persecuted  Church Worldwide

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!

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

Amen.”

Matthew 6v9-13

This is, in all probability, the prayer that is most frequently used, and repeated, by those professing to be Christian Disciples and also by those who are not.  It is often called the “Lord’s Prayer”.  This is not because Jesus, Himself would have prayed it, for as He was sinless, He would have had no need to have said to God, “forgive us our debts” (Matthew 6v12).  It was given by Jesus as a model for His Disciples prayers to be like, hence Jesus saying “how you should pray” (Matthew 6v9).  When it is spoken and prayed, I wonder if some people truly understand what is being prayed?

Come and listen to find out more! When you have listened, answer the following questions for yourself!

Q1. In what ways can I as a Christian Disciple adapt my prayers to follow this model given by Jesus?

Q2. How can my prayer life reflect attention on God’s name, will and kingdom?

Q3. How often do I lead myself into temptation and blame others for it?

This is the story of Stephen. He lives in Bournemouth and he shares how an encounter with Jesus changed is life from hatred, violence, cruelty and drug addiction... Come and hear!

G’day! Welcome to Partakers and to Wednesday Wisdom, where we are listening to what the Bible has to say through the Wisdom literature of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. Come on in!

MY son, if You be security for your friend, if You have stricken your hand with a stranger,
2 You are snared with the words of your mouth, You are taken with the words of your mouth.
3 Do this now, my son, and deliver yourself, when You are come into the hand of your friend; go, humble yourself, and make sure your friend.
4 Give not sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids.
5 Deliver yourself as a deer from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

6 Go to the ant, You sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
8 Provides her meat in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.
9 How long will You sleep, O sluggard? when will You arise out of your sleep?
10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
11 So shall your poverty come as one that travels, and your want as an armed man.

12 A naughty person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth.
13 He winks with his eyes, he speaks with his feet, he teaches with his fingers;
14 Perversity is in his heart, he devises mischief continually; he sows discord.
15 Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.
16 These six things does the Lord hate: yes, seven are an abomination to him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaks lies, and he that sows discord among brethren.

20 My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of your mother:
21 Bind them continually upon your heart, and tie them about your neck.
22 When You go, it shall lead you; when You sleep, it shall keep you; and when You awaken, it shall talk with you.
23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
24 To keep you from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
25 Lust not after her beauty in your heart; neither let her take you with her eyelids.
26 For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.

27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?
28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?
29 So he that goes in to his neighbour’s wife; whosoever touches her shall not be innocent.
30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steals to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;
31 But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.
32 But whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding: he that does it destroys his own soul.
33 A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though You give many gifts.


That’s it for today! Come back every day to Partakers Podcasts to hear something to encourage and uplift you as a Christian disciple, regardless of where you are in the world. You can also purchase our books via Amazon at Pulptheology.com

Acts 27v39 - 28v6 When it was day, they didn't recognize the land, but they noticed a certain bay with a beach, and they decided to try to drive the ship onto it.  Casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea, at the same time untying the rudder ropes. Hoisting up the foresail to the wind, they made for the beach.  But coming to a place where two seas met, they ran the vessel aground. The bow struck and remained immovable, but the stern began to break up by the violence of the waves. The soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim out and escape. But the centurion, desiring to save Paul, stopped them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should throw themselves overboard first to go toward the land; and the rest should follow, some on planks, and some on other things from the ship.

So it happened that they all escaped safely to the land. When we had escaped, then they learned that the island was called Malta. The natives showed us uncommon kindness; for they kindled a fire, and received us all, because of the present rain, and because of the cold. But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand. When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said one to another, "No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped from the sea, yet Justice has not allowed to live." However he shook off the creature into the fire, and wasn't harmed.  But they expected that he would have swollen or fallen down dead suddenly, but when they watched for a long time and saw nothing bad happen to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.

Along the journey, eventually the ship arrived at Malta.  Everybody was safe and secure, but tired and bedraggled (Acts 27v39-44). The Roman centurion did not want to kill the prisoners he was guarding, because he wanted to keep Paul alive (Acts 27v24, 43). This group of people stayed in Malta for three months and all we know of their stay in Malta, is two quite remarkable events.

The snake on the beach. The local Maltese people were hospitable to them.  Immediately, the Maltese people built a fire on the beach for the weary travellers. Paul had gathered some of the wood for the fire, and when he put the wood on the fire, a snake was driven out by the heat, and fastened itself onto his hand (Acts 28v3). At this point, because of their superstitions, the Maltese thought Paul was a murderer and trying to run from justice. Paul did not suffer however, and the Maltese changed their minds about Paul. He went from being a murderer, to 'a god' (Acts 28v6). God was glorified yet again through this event, and Paul no doubt would have been horrified at being called a 'god', just as he was at Lystra years before (Acts 14v11-18). This shows that God gives grace to the humble, and Paul was indeed a humble man.

The healing of the sick. The other event we hear about is about Publius.  Publius was the Maltese leader.  He entertained the ship's company, and Paul healed Publius' father and the rest of the island came and were cured. Salvation by the grace of God was preached, and Paul was honoured in many ways. We are not told if any Maltese became believers at this point.

After three months in Malta, they sailed on towards Italy. They landed at Puteoli and Paul stayed there a week with some fellow believers, who had come as far as forty miles to meet him Paul thanked God for them and was encouraged by God through them (Acts 27v24). God's had kept Paul safe, by His power to fulfil his promise to him about standing trial in Rome. Paul had experienced what he had long known to be true, that whatever happens in life, falls within the purpose of God. No storm, no shipwreck, no snake, no Sanhedrin, no riots, no threats could separate him from the love of God or stop God's purpose for him.

Paul arrived in Rome quietly, and settled into ministry, despite his chains, for the next two years. During this time, he seemed to avoid any great dramas with the authorities. The arrival of Paul in Rome, was the fulfilment of the Lord's promise to him in the prison in Jerusalem (Acts 23v11). Paul never forced anything on anyone. Yet he refused to let anyone stop him from proclaiming Jesus as Lord. Paul always told people the gospel with love, honesty, sensitivity and a focus that breathed a personal concern' Just because people accept an invitation, doesn't always mean they will listen. Paul found this out with the Roman Jews. They listened to him, and then rejected the gospel message.

This is the last specific event recorded in Acts. We are left with the picture that preaching the Gospel is hard in a world that is unsympathetic to us. It is also the last instance of a Jewish rejection of Paul's ministry, and from now on he seems to concentrate only on the Gentiles. This is shown in the universal nature of the church today, whereas back in the time of Paul, it was primarily Jewish. It also confirms Jesus' principle that when the message is constantly rejected in one place, to take the message elsewhere (Matthew 10v14). The gospel moves on, seeking the lost wherever they may be found.

For two years Paul was able to preach the gospel in Rome, and all this time he was under house arrest! There are 3 main features of his ministry during this time. a. He welcomed all who came to see him. His door was always open to all enquirers. If he could not go to them, then he would always welcome those who came to him. b. He consistently preached the kingdom of God and taught about Jesus.

Paul's passion was Jesus, and his message of salvation was the saving grace of Jesus. Christ dominated Paul's life. Paul loved the Lord and constantly lifted Him up before people. c. Paul preached boldly and without hindrance. Even though Paul's hands were chained, his mouth remained open for Jesus Christ and his gospel.

This sums up the book of Acts. Jesus cannot be contained. The gospel cannot be silenced. The salvation of sinners cannot be stopped. The work continues. Jesus told his disciples that they would be his witnesses 'in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth' (Acts 1v8), These words continue for us today as we go into our places of work, study, or our families to tell them of the saving love of Jesus, that his name is the only name given under heaven among men, by whom we will be saved. The book of Acts does not end with a final statement, but with a story that continues. It seems that God wanted Luke to end the book of Acts with an open and unfinished story. Why?

The book of Acts, then, is all about the continuing work of God in and through His people, the church. It is about the unfinished work of faithfulness: faithfulness to reach out (Acts 28v17-22), faithfulness to persevere when people will not listen (Acts 28v23-30), and faithfulness to proclaim Jesus (Acts 28v30,31).  Our faith grabs hold of God's power, and this power strengthens our faith, and we are preserved; it places us within those walls, and sets our souls within the guard of the power of God, which is only left exposed by our own selfish pride and acting in our own strength.

Faith is a humble, self-denying grace' making the Christian nothing in himself and everything in God - He and He alone should be our security. We who are believers, are the result of the work of the Holy Spirit in the church of the book of Acts. We are to be indebted to the work of Paul and the other Apostles. It would be their desire, for us to continue on the work they left. It would be their desire, to see us, living the gospel of truth in a world that is dying to know of the grace and love of its Saviour, Jesus Christ. We, as Christians in the 21st Century, are part of Acts Chapter 29.  Will we be written as part of the story, or simply be placed on the side? That is the challenge for all of us who believe in Jesus.

~

Acts 26v19-32 "Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to them of Damascus, at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance.   For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple, and tried to kill me.  Having therefore obtained the help that is from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would happen, how the Christ must suffer, and how, by the resurrection of the dead, he would be first to proclaim light both to these people and to the Gentiles."

As he thus made his defence, Festus said with a loud voice, "Paul, you are crazy! Your great learning is driving you insane!" But he said, "I am not crazy, most excellent Festus, but boldly declare words of truth and reasonableness. For the king knows of these things, to whom also I speak freely. For I am persuaded that none of these things is hidden from him, for this has not been done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe." Agrippa said to Paul, "With a little persuasion are you trying to make me a Christian?"

Paul said, "I pray to God, that whether with little or with much, not only you, but also all that hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these bonds."  The king rose up with the governor, and Bernice, and those who sat with them.  When they had withdrawn, they spoke one to another, saying, "This man does nothing worthy of death or of bonds." Agrippa said to Festus, "This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar."

The Gospel of Jesus Christ has spread throughout the Roman Empire, and Paul was imprisoned in Caesarea.  The Jewish leaders wanted Paul tried and executed, and Festus was willing to go along with that idea.  However, Paul, ever guided by the Holy Spirit, appealed directly to Caesar! Paul was a Roman citizen and any Roman citizen had that right!  So after what we call the three missionary journeys, Paul is now on a final journey - to Rome! We jump forward now to Acts 27 to look at this final journey.

Luke records the course of the voyage in detail, and we can feel just how people travelled back in that time. The prisoners were probably put on the boat at Caesarea. They sailed up the coast of Sidon, to the east and north of Cyprus. At Sidon the centurion in charge of Paul, "in kindness...", allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs' (27v3). Now as far as we know, Paul had never visited Sidon although perhaps he had met Sidonese people on his travels. This was to be the last time he would have had the fellowship and family worship of a Christian home and a wider company of believers. Strengthened and encouraged by this group of Christians, Paul was ready for any trouble that lay ahead for him.

After two weeks sailing, they landed at Myra, in what is now southern Turkey. They then changed ships, for one heading towards Italy, and their next stop was Crete. The time of year was now late October, and the weather was quickly getting worse (27v10). The captain and owner of the ship thought that it was wise to seek a new place in which to stay for the winter. Paul foresaw the disaster, and said so.

Paul, it must be said, did believe that God was ruler of the winds and waves and would get him to Rome come what may. He was simply stating that it was better to be safe rather than sorry, to arrive in Italy safely in spring rather than not arriving at all. Paul's advice set the scene for the events that happen later on in the voyage in which God once again confirmed Paul's discernment and calling by miracles and mighty works, even if it had no immediate effect on those responsible for the decision to sail on regardless. The sailors were not fools however. They waited until the weather improved before starting to sail from Crete (27v13). Their optimism was soon blown away by a strong wind, which started to blow them towards Africa. Day after day after day, for two weeks they ran with the wind, hoping that the wind would stop, and at the same time seemingly waiting for the ship to sink. The sailors were probably starting to reflect on their life and commitments, or the lack of commitments. During this time, Paul intervened to encourage their disheartened spirits.

• A call for faith (27v21-26) - By this time, everybody on board must have been aware that Paul was right in his warning not to sail on. He said they should keep their courage, because no-one would lose their life, even if the ship was damaged beyond repair. But why should they believe this? Because God had sent an angel to assure Paul that he would arrive in Rome, to stand trial before Caesar. Paul had faith in God that it would happen just as he had promised. They should take courage. All people, whether Christian or not, are in the same boat of life. All people share a common life of ups and downs. Godless sailors lived because of godly Paul. Yet it is up to us as Christians to share a message of hope to all those who do not believe. These sailors, even though they were blessed by God to survive this disaster, may not survive the next voyage of disaster, and then they would end up in hell. Regardless of their blessings, they stayed lost if they didn't come to Christ in faith. For Paul, however, to live was Christ and to die was gain (Philippians 1 :21). Whatever trials we face as believers, we must hold fast to the glory of Jesus. The real issue, Paul tells his shipmates, is not whether we live or die, but what will you do with Jesus? Paul spoke of God's promises and his faith in God. He invited them to believe in God, just as he did.
• A call for unity - stay together (27v27-32) - Their crisis came fourteen days out of Crete. They were about to land at Malta, in conditions that were worse than awful. Some sailors were trying to sneak off in the life-boat. Paul, however, insisted that all hands were necessary if any were to be saved, and the centurion prevented them from escaping.
• A call for effort - The promise of God, always includes the means to fulfil His promise. God doesn't commend or give His power to the faithful, so that they may be lazy and not plan, when there is a definite reason to be careful. When God makes a promise to us, we must be responsible to receive his promise. God promises to save us, yet it is our responsibility to accept by faith His Son Jesus Christ. Paul always reminded them of God's promise. He urged them to take food so that they would be strong when the time was needed for strength. He once again reminded them of the promise of God. He also witnessed to them, when eating, by giving thanks to God. Paul was a man of a God and a man of action, a man of the Spirit and common-sense, a man who combined spirituality with sanity, faith with works, a man who was heavenly minded and of earthly use.

Christians, should be the most practical people in the world, because the Lord has given us the real truth about the real world and its real needs. How do you respond to the world? Are you like Paul?

James, the brother of Jesus and writer of the epistle of James, was not an apostle. He delivered the coup-de-grace to the Judaism argument with a direct appeal to the Word of God. God had already spoken on the matter! Quoting Amos 9v11-12, James reminded them that the prophet had declared that 'David's fallen tent' was be restored and that this would involve the in gathering of all the Gentiles who bear the Lord's name' (Acts 15v16-18). This is fulfilled, James says, in all that Peter had described (Acts 15:14). The church of Jesus Christ was all along intended to encompass both Jew and Gentile and, one by one without discrimination, they are brought to the same faith by the same Lord. The gospel is for all nations. This, James showed, was 'the mind of God", in the Scripture'.

1. Deliverance Proposed The Lord's brother then proposed the motion that was to become the finding of the Jerusalem Council. This consisted of two main parts: The first was the definitive doctrinal answer to the Judaizers, which stands for all time: 'We should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God' (Acts 15v19).

This verse is often passed over as a mere introit to the verses that follow, but it ought to be seen as standing on its own. It told the Judaizing party in the gentlest possible way - if they thought through all they had heard - that what they were asking for was not the Lord's will for the church, but was, indeed, even contrary to the gospel of God's free grace in Christ and wonderful doctrine of being put right with God by faith alone. If ever them was a soft answer that would turn away potential anger, this was it. 'We should not make it difficult,' is an example of affirming a basic doctrine in a very practical way.

The doctrine had been clearly stated by the previous speakers. There was no need for a bare restatement. There was need, however, to persuade people of its practical significance. And, at the same time, those whose views were being rejected needed to know that they were not being personally rejected, but were still warmly embraced within the fellowship of the Lord's people. They were believers and they had laid their views before the whole church in an orderly manner. Having received the considered judgement of the church, they could be expected to receive it with due submission in the Lord. They were certainly not to be made to feel that they had been foolish or were no longer welcome.

This is surely a model for resolving doctrinal and practical controversy today. Too often, church debates degenerate into fights and lead to unnecessary and ungodly division. The maintenance or truth never requires discourtesy or unpleasantness on the part of its advocates, even if those who oppose it are strident and contentious (2 Timothy 2v25). James deftly set the denial of any requirement of legal observances for salvation (the other side of which was the affirmation of the doctrine of salvation by grace alone through faith in Christ, in terms of not putting difficulties (that is unbiblical ones) in the way of Gentile converts being received into the membership of the church.

2. Unity Proposed The second part is a practical four-point proposal (Acts 15v20) designed to foster unity in the church. They proposed asking the Gentile Christians to take particular care to distance themselves from their former manner of life. This was also, no doubt, designed to allay the fears of Jewish Christians, whose sense of what constituted a God honouring lifestyle was formed by the regulations of the law of Moses. They needed to know that Gentile Christians were not adrift from practical godliness as properly defined by God's Word. James therefore addressed specific practical issues, where the teaching of the Scriptures - still confined to the Old Testament - challenged the accepted norms of Gentile behaviour and called for a conscientious application of biblical principles.

2a. Leave Alone First, they should 'abstain from food polluted by idols' (Daniel 1v8; Malachiv1:7-12). This had been offered at pagan temples as sacrifices to the gods and the surplus sold in the market. The question here was not primarily one of diet - that is dealt with in the third and fourth points - but concerned association with the milieu from which the food had come. Questions of conscience later arose in Corinth on this very point. These were addressed by Paul, who made it clear that while there was no essential problem with eating this meat, there ought to be sensitivity to the tender consciences of those who, having come out of paganism, regarded consuming it as a sinful complicity with paganism (1 Corinthians 8v1-13; 10v14-33). Second, they should abstain from 'sexual immorality' (Leviticus 18; Matthew 5v27-30). The Gentile world, like that of television movies and sitcoms today, treated promiscuous sexual relations as acceptable and part of normal behaviour. This was sin then and it remains sin to this day. Third, they should not eat of 'the meat of strangled animals'. This is a reference to meat from which the blood had not been completely strained (Leviticus 7v22-27).'

Lastly, they should eat no 'blood' (Genesis 9v4; Leviticus 17v10-12; 19v26). This was the basis for the preceding point. Blood was symbolic of life and was to be reserved for sacrifice to the Lord, thus underscoring his role as the giver of life. None of these, as John Owen points out, was a new imposition on the practice of the churches.' All were clearly taught in Scripture, even if all but the second were elements of old covenant piety that would eventually pass away when the full revelation of the New Testament was completed. The purpose of reiterating them here was to encourage a discerning sensitivity to practical godliness in a Gentile social-cultural milieu and a Jewish Christian ecclesiastical context. Gentiles were to examine critically their old habits and give no cause to anyone to accuse them of their old sins. They were also encouraged to be graciously accommodating to Jewish dietary sensitivities. For their part, Jewish believers needed to understand that Gentiles were not to be required to observe the Mosaic ceremonial law, now that the Messiah had come and published the gospel of sovereign grace in all its fullness.

The decision was made to adopt James' proposal and send a letter with a deputation to all the churches in 'Antioch, Syria and Cilicia' (Acts 15v22-29). This conveyed the verdict of the council. Today it still vibrates with lively applicability.

2b. Grace Alone First of all, the men who insisted on circumcision and the law were declared to be 'without the church's authorisation' for their disturbing teaching. This almost unobtrusive dismissal underscores the solidity with which the church knew its doctrine. From the beginning, the apostles clearly taught that salvation was by the free and sovereign grace of God through faith in Christ and not through man's best efforts to keep tile law and impress God with self generated good works. Jerusalem held that line and closed the door to works-righteousness- Good works have a vital place in the Christian life, to be sure. They are, however, not the root, but the fruit of salvation, prepared by God in advance for us to do (Ephesians. 2v10).

2c. Spirit Alone They emphasised that the decision 'seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to [the church I' (Acts 15v28). Here is the purpose and the role of the church in the guidance and discipline of God's people. Jesus had promised that the Holy Spirit would lead them into all truth (John 14v26; 16v13). All decisions in churches, as well as in the individual Christian's life, ought to fulfil this condition. Not only does it tell us what God does with his church, but it defines the goal and prayer of the church. If what we do only seems good to us, without the evident leading of the Spirit, then we are simply not doing the Lord's work.

2d. Standing Alone The council's four 'requirements' - one permanent (sexual immorality), the others transitional and temporary, highlight the necessity and the blessing of the separated life for Christians: 'You will do well to avoid these things' (Acts 15v29).  Christians must bear a decisive testimony to the society in which they are located - a testimony which shows the righteousness of God before the world.

The result in the mission churches was encouragement and continued blessing through the ministries of Judas, Silas Paul and Barnabas (Acts 15v30-35). The burden of Judaistic legalism was lifted. The Gospel of Jesus Christ 's was lifted up before the Gentiles and the Holy Spirit continued to accompany the preaching of the Word with power, so that more and more people were being saved by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone.

Today on Partakers we are praying a series of prayers - ancient and modern - for refugees worldwide regardless of where they are from. Currently there are over 21,000,000 refugees, those who have been forced to leave their home country due to natural disasters, war or persecution due to race, religion, politics, or social group. As we know, Jesus our Lord, was a refugee when a baby, as Joseph & Mary escaped to Egypt with him. Come on in, download the mp3 and pray with us!

We commence with a prayer from the ancient Syrian church...
O my God,
You are the unsearchable abyss of peace,
the ineffable sea of love,
the fountain of blessings,
and the bestower of affection!
You are the God who sends peace to those that receive it;
open to us this day the sea of Your love,
and water us with the plenteous streams from the riches of Your grace.
Amen

Download or listen to the mp3 to hear more prayers! Come on in!

Acts 15:1-4 "Some men came down from Judea and taught the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised after the custom of Moses, you can't be saved."  Therefore when Paul and Barnabas had no small discord and discussion with them, they appointed Paul and Barnabas, and some others of them, to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders about this question.   They, being sent on their way by the assembly, passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles. They caused great joy to all the brothers.   When they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the assembly and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all things that God had done with them.

At its beginning, the apostolic church was one church under the unitary leadership of the apostles.  It had an expanding eldership, often called presbyters, bishops or overseers.' From earliest days, the church had a simple but well-defined order. Elders and deacons were set apart to their particular tasks, as we saw earlier in Acts 6. Members were received upon profession of faith and the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper were administered. Discipline was exercised, in which members who had fallen into sin and remained unrepentant were excluded from the church.

The church was never individualistic: that is to say, people did not suddenly decide to 'join' or 'leave' the church, as is too often the case in modern churches. The church was a corporate entity, in which pastoral oversight and spiritual authority were exercised by the leadership.  A leadership raised up by the Lord and set apart according to a church policy mediated by the divinely inspired guidance of the apostles. This did not mean that there was neither controversy nor the threat of disunity. From the beginning, problems arose which needed to be resolved with pastoral, spiritual and judicial authority.

It is therefore no surprise to find, early on in Church history, a question arising about the nature of membership in the church and to see the matter being dealt with through the collective leadership of the church, the apostles and elders, who met together in a deliberative assembly (Acts 15v6). The problem arose because some men from Judea came to Antioch and promoted the view that circumcision, according to the law of Moses, was necessary for salvation. 'They were opposed by Paul and Barnabas. The church must have been seriously upset by the dispute. There was no final resolution and so help was sought from the church in Jerusalem, still at this point the heartland of the Christian church, from which the problem had come in the first place. Paul, Barnabas and some other believers were reputed to take the case to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem.

It is impressive to see the orderliness and seemingly good spirit in which they sought to deal with the dispute. This is reflected in the way the news of the conversion of Gentiles was received along their path. The church was one church, united in a glorious obsession with the gospel and the conviction that there is one truth by which the people of God are to be guided and ordered in one, undivided body. Every theological and practical controversy potentially threatens the unity of the church.

In this case, the issue was fundamental to the meaning and application of the gospel itself. The intense conservatism of some of the Christian Jews was expressed in an insistence that certain regulations of the Old Testament law be required of non-Jewish converts as prerequisites for their recognition as members of the church of Jesus Christ. This is, of course, the so-called ‘Judaizing controversy', which, notwithstanding the action of the Jerusalem Council, continued to dog the progress of the apostolic church and was to be he target of Paul's epistle to the Galatians.

The heart of the matter is the tendency to add to the Word of God in defining who is, or is not, a Christian and thus expand the scope of what makes for a credible profession of faith to take in all sorts of unbiblical rules and requirements. The 'Judaizing' Christians in Antioch did not want to add some new man-made tradition of innovation, but desired to keep certain elements which had been God's will for the Old Testament church. How could that which was good and holy until Jesus came again, become an improper imposition afterwards?

The answer had already been given explicitly and also implicitly in the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon Samaritan and Gentile believers (Acts 8v7; Acts 10v45-48). The maintenance of an Old Testament regulation (in this case, circumcision), when it had been replaced by a distinctively New Testament ordinance (baptism), was equivalent to imposing a man-made tradition even though God had originally given it to his people. Why? Because God had made it clear, through the teaching of Jesus and the apostles, that baptism was to be the ordinance of incorporation with his people for the whole New Testament era, until its culmination in the Second Coming of Christ (Matt. 28v19; Acts 2v38).

The transition period of the first-generation church of the apostles, however, made sensitive and difficult matter with which to deal. Jewish Christians still attended services in the synagogues and observed the ceremonies at the temple (see Acts 21v26 for an instance of the involving the apostle Paul). Only with the destruction of the Temple in AD70 would the ceremonial aspects of the Old pattern for godliness decisively recede from the practice of church. On arriving at Jerusalem, the delegates from Antioch were welcomed by 'the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them', This gathering evidently consisted of the leadership (apostles and elders) and many of the membership, including those convened were putting forward the requirement that Gentiles 'must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses' (Acts 15v5-6). This was the context for discussion of the issue.

The Jerusalem Council, as it has been named, was a group of ordained elders together with the apostles, The significance of this council, beyond the immediate decision which was made, lies in the fact that the apostles did not make the decision for the church, as could well have been expected of men of their unique position and gifts, but participated, for the purposes of this decision, as elders with the other elders, albeit as the 'first among equals', It is for this reason that the Jerusalem Council is the great prototype of 'synods and councils', whether congregational or Presbyterian, ever since.

Having convened for that purpose, the apostles and elders' engaged in a deliberative discussion of the issue referred to them by the church in Antioch, namely, whether the Judaistic proposition that circumcision and a commitment to keeping Mosaic law were to be required of Gentiles (Acts 15v7). There was free debate and no papering over differences. The apostles let the elders speak before they joined in, thus showing the way for the future, when their uniquely revelatory gifts would be gone.

Furthermore, it is clear, from what is said later, that their goal was to know the mind of the Holy Spirit in the matter (Acts 15v28). The Jerusalem Council is a reminder to the church of Jesus Christ to go back to God's way of seeking the mind of the Spirit on the issues confronting the doctrinal purity and the practical peace of the body of Christ - namely, by God-appointed elders in deliberative assemblies. The way the discussion unfolded in Jerusalem is the most vivid recommendation for God's way to solve the church's challenges.

Peter arose after much discussion, and proceeded to demolish the Judaistic viewpoint with arguments drawn from his own experience of ministry to Gentiles. He first described the conversion of the Gentiles as the work of God (Acts 15v 7-9). It had been God, not himself, who had determined that, through his lips the Gentiles might hear the message of the gospel and believe. It was certain that God had accepted them, because He had given the Holy Spirit to them, just as He had to Jewish believers; and this was proved by the Gentile Christians' faith, which was no different from their own (Acts 15v9). He then rebuked those Jewish Christians who would insist on human works - in this instance, circumcision and the law - as necessary for salvation (Acts 15v10).

They should have known better! Their fathers could not bear the 'yoke' of the law. It could not save them. They could not keep it. To suggest that this same yoke is necessary to being recognised as a true believer in Christ was, in effect, to deny their own profession of Christ as their Saviour! Worse still, it was to trying to test God - that is, to challenge God's ability to save lost people by grace through faith in Christ alone! To make any action, however righteous in itself, an instrument of the justification of a sinner before God, when God has made it plain by precept and actual experience that it is by grace alone through saving faith in Jesus Christ, is to contradict the very essence of the gospel! Faith is in a category all of its own. Faith is not a 'work'. It is, to be sure, the act of the human heart casting itself upon the Lord, but it is pre-eminently the gift of God as Paul later says so that no one can boast (Ephesians. 2v9).

Rising to a glorious crescendo, Peter declared emphatically the very heart of the gospel (Acts 15v11). Salvation is by grace alone, both for Jews and Gentiles. Jesus' yoke is easy and his burden is light (Matthew 11v30). There is no place for the yoke of a law, which could only condemn us! The two missionaries, whose labours had largely occasioned the controversy, supported Peter with testimony to the miracles attending the ministry to the Gentiles. These showed that God was working among them, as he had among the Jews. Then, as we shall discover next time, James speaks and the church goes forward in unity!

1 Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot a vain thing?

2 The kings of the earth take a stand, and the rulers take counsel together,

against Yahweh, and against his Anointed, saying,

3 “Let’s break their bonds apart, and cast their cords from us.”

4 He who sits in the heavens will laugh.

The Lord will have them in derision.

5 Then he will speak to them in his anger, and terrify them in his wrath:

6 “Yet I have set my King on my holy hill of Zion.”

7 I will tell of the decree. Yahweh said to me,

“You are my son. Today I have become your father.

8 Ask of me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance,

the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession.

9 You shall break them with a rod of iron.

You shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

10 Now therefore be wise, you kings.

Be instructed, you judges of the earth.

11 Serve Yahweh with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

12 Give sincere homage to the Son, lest he be angry,

and you perish in the way, for his wrath will soon be kindled.

Blessed are all those who take refuge in him.

Acts 9:10-31 “Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias!” He said, “Behold, it’s me, Lord.” 9:11 The Lord said to him, “Arise, and go to the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judah for one named Saul, a man of Tarsus. For behold, he is praying, 9:12 and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in, and laying his hands on him, that he might receive his sight.”

9:13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he did to your saints at Jerusalem. 9:14 Here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.”

9:15 But the Lord said to him, “Go your way, for he is my chosen vessel to bear my name before the nations and kings, and the children of Israel. 9:16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name’s sake.”

9:17 Ananias departed, and entered into the house. Laying his hands on him, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord, who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me, that you may receive your sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 9:18 Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he received his sight. He arose and was baptized. 9:19 He took food and was strengthened. Saul stayed several days with the disciples who were at Damascus. 9:20 Immediately in the synagogues he proclaimed the Christ, that he is the Son of God. 9:21 All who heard him were amazed, and said, “Isn’t this he who in Jerusalem made havoc of those who called on this name? And he had come here intending to bring them bound before the chief priests!”

9:22 But Saul increased more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived at Damascus, proving that this is the Christ. 9:23 When many days were fulfilled, the Jews conspired together to kill him, 9:24 but their plot became known to Saul. They watched the gates both day and night that they might kill him, 9:25 but his disciples took him by night, and let him down through the wall, lowering him in a basket. 9:26 When Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join himself to the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.

9:27 But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared to them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. 9:28 He was with them entering into Jerusalem, 9:29 preaching boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus. He spoke and disputed against the Hellenists, but they were seeking to kill him. 9:30 When the brothers knew it, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him off to Tarsus. 9:31 So the assemblies throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, and were built up. They were multiplied, walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit.”

Transformed: From the conversion of Paul, we go to the consequences of his conversion. The first consequence we maybe aware of is that he changed his name: changed from Saul of Tarsus to Paul of Tarsus – we read that in Acts 13! Paul's conversion was a total transformation. His attitudes, character & relationships with God, fellow believers and the unbelieving world were utterly transformed.

A changed life is the ultimate proof, that conversion is real and the Holy Spirit is working. Now that through Jesus and his cross, Paul had been put right with God, Paul, as with all believers, enjoyed direct access to the Father, as the Spirit witnessed with his spirit that he was the Father's child (Romans 8:16). Perhaps his prayers were for forgiveness of sins of self-righteousness & cruel persecution of Jesus & the church. And no doubt they contained worship. The mouth that breathed murderous threats against Jesus like a roaring lion, was now breathing prayers & praises to God like bleating lamb. Paul's life was changed from self-righteousness to righteousness through Jesus. The evidence of this was a change in the way he lived his life.

Ananias went to meet Paul, after having been sent by God. No doubt, he had heard of Paul and his persecuting the Church. At the beginning he was hesitant to do this, but in the end he went to Straight Street as told and ministered to Paul. Upon laying hands upon him and identifying with him(v17), calling him brother, and ministering the love of Jesus to this his former enemy, the Holy Spirit entered Paul (v17), and Paul could see again (v18). Paul then ate some food, and spent time with the Damascene disciples. It is amazing really that Paul was accepted.

The Jews were confused and astonished by him. For wasn't this the man who was going to kill followers of Jesus. What has happened so dramatically that he has joined them? Whenever he preached to the Jews, they were confused. Paul however did not settle down in Damascus, and according to Galatians 1:17-18 spent 3 years in Arabia. Some people seem to think, that he spent the time with Jesus, to learn from him by revelation his distinctive truths, just as the disciples had spent about 3 years with him while Jesus was on earth. Paul then returned to Damascus and while there, the Jews leaders plotted to kill him. So he escaped with the help of the other believers to Jerusalem.

Sent: Jesus had appointed Paul to be 3 things. A servant of God; a witness for God to the world, and also an apostle engaged in pioneer work to the Gentiles (26:16ff). Jesus confirmed this to Ananias that Paul was a 'chosen instrument', and Ananias passed this onto Paul (v15). There were also four things about this witness that Paul would do, that can help us as we live to witness for Jesus Christ.

• His witness was centred on Christ. (v20, 22). His arguments focused on Jesus, and spoke boldly about Him.
• His witness was powered by the Holy Spirit (17,22)
• His witness was courageous in Damascus (v27), the synagogues (2,20) and in Jerusalem (28) where the Sanhedrin met. He also debated with the Hellenists (v29)
• His witness was costly. His life was threatened (v23-24, 29). And we learn even more things from the rest of this book of Acts, and in his letters. His parents possibly disinherited him, was persecuted consistently by fierce opponents & imprisoned, shipwrecked in Cyprus.

Paul and Barnabas: Paul's experience in Damascus repeated itself in Jerusalem. When he tried to join the Apostles and community of Christian believers, since he knew he was one of them, they were afraid and doubted he really was a believer. But this time Barnabas came to the rescue and testified to the others about him and his changed life. The only apostles Paul met were Peter & James (Gal 1: 18-20), and told them how he had seen Jesus, the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had fearlessly preached the name of Jesus. Because of this testimony, he was accepted by them into the community of believers. And in yet another of Luke's summaries, we see the church has now five characteristics –

• peace (free from outside interference)
• strength (confirming its position)
• encouragement (comforted by the Holy Spirit)
• growth (multiplying numerically)
• godliness (living in the fear of the Lord.

This was noticed by the Apostle Peter when he wrote in 2 Peter 3v15-16: “Regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given to him, wrote to you; as also in all of his letters, speaking in them of these things. In those, there are some things that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unsettled twist, as they also do to the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.”

We have much to be thankful to God for the life of Paul and the witness he was for Jesus Christ at the beginnings of the Church. Most of the book of Acts follows him, on what we call the three missionary journeys and the events that unfold as the Church grows and spreads to the glory of its head, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts 9:1-6 But Saul, still breathing threats and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest,  and asked for letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he travelled, it happened that he got close to Damascus, and suddenly a light from the sky shone around him. He fell on the earth, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" He said, "Who are you, Lord?"  The Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.  But rise up, and enter into the city, and you will be told what you must do."  The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the sound, but seeing no one. Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened, he saw no one. They led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. He was without sight for three days, and neither ate nor drank.

The conversion of Paul is perhaps the most famous throughout the history of the Church. Luke tells us the story three times. But was Paul's conversion special? Many people say "I have not had a Damascus Road experience". There were, it is true, special events on that day, which make Paul's conversion unique. Let us look together at his conversion experience.

Conversion Experience The only possible cause for his conversion is the beautiful sovereign grace of God. It was Jesus Christ who decided for him. Each of the 3 previous times Paul is mentioned, Luke mentions him as opposing the church & persecuting the body of believers, most fittingly having witnessed the death of Stephen (Acts 7:58; 8:1,3). Now Luke resumes his story of Paul by saying that he was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples (9:1).

Paul had tried to contain the church to Jerusalem, but some had escaped to Damascus. Paul then devised a plan to capture the believers in Damascus. Armed with letters from the High Priest in Jerusalem, he set out for Damascus in a bid to stop the spreading of the Good News. He would arrive in Damascus, a proud and pompous man, bent on ridding the city of its followers of Jesus. Why did Paul hate the believers so much? Because, To his mind at the time, to him a dead Messiah was no Messiah at all and how could the Saviour of the Jews, the Messiah, die on a cross and be cursed by God. No, no. Paul considered it his duty as a man zealous for the law, to eradicate all those who were followers of this man.

Luke's description of Paul seems to be like that of a wild animal trying to destroy a flock of sheep, creating havoc & destruction which ever way he turned. And yet, he had not considered the sovereign grace of God. To a man like this there could only be one reason why he changed his mind, and became the most ardent follower of Jesus. He turned from a wolf who destroyed sheep, to become a sheep with the character of a shepherd. It can only be through the sovereign grace of God.

So let us look together at Paul's conversion. Paul and his companions were nearing the end of a weeks' travelling of the 150 mile journey to Damascus from Jerusalem Then suddenly, a light from heaven flashed around him (v3), brighter than the sun (26:13). It was so overwhelming that it both blinded him and knocked him over (v8-9), flat on his face before his conqueror. Then a voice cried out "Paul, Paul, why do you persecute me?"

And in answer to Paul's subsequent question as to his identity, the voice continues "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting." Paul must have at once, hooked on to how closely Jesus identifies with His followers, so to persecute them was to persecute Him, that he suddenly realised that Jesus was no longer dead as he supposed, but was alive and all His claims were true. Paul's companions, while hearing the voice, did not see the resurrected Jesus.

They took Paul into the city. Instead of arriving there full of pride & bravery, a self confident enemy of Jesus, Paul entered Damascus, humbled and blinded, a prisoner of Jesus. The light he saw was the glory of Jesus, and the voice he heard was the voice of Jesus.  In his letters we discover how Paul views this event: how God arrested him (Philippians 3:12), shone his light upon him (2 Corinthians 4:6), and the mercy of God overflowed upon him (1 Timothy 1:14).

And yet, while it was entirely due to the grace of God, that Paul was converted from enemy of the Christ to follower of the Christ, it was not sudden. Yes, the light was sudden, and Christ appeared suddenly, but Jesus had talked to Paul before. The goads, likened Paul to a wild horse needing to broken in, ready to be ridden. The implication is that Jesus was pursuing Paul, prodding and pricking him, and Paul was resisting painfully. But what were the goads that Jesus used to prick Paul of Tarsus? While we are not told specifically what they were, by reading his letters we can gain an insight into what they were.

The Goads

Here are three of the goads used by Jesus on Paul:

a. His sub-conscious doubts. With his conscious mind, he proclaimed Jesus as an impostor, who had been rejected as the Messiah by his own people, and died under the curse of God on a cross. Yet, Paul would have heard reports about Jesus' teaching & miracles, claims & character, together with the talk that Jesus had been raised from the dead.

b. The testimony of Stephen. Paul had been present at the trial of Stephen and had seen his execution, both the non-resistance while being stoned to death and his face shining like an angel. He had heard Stephen's speech at his trial, his prayer for forgiveness of his executioners and his astonishing claim to have seen Jesus at the right hand of God. There was something about these Christians, that could not be explained to Paul- the divine living power of Jesus in the lives of His followers.

c. The inadequacy of the law to save. Paul claimed to be faultless i e ­that is his public life.  In private however, he knew that his thoughts & attitudes were not clean for example his sin of covetousness. Therefore he had no inner power or peace, and it was the goads of Jesus.

Paul's conversion was a sudden climax, to a long drawn out process with Jesus having pursued him. And yet while his conversion was not sudden, it was not forced upon him. Indeed, forcing him to the ground blind, he did not change his character and turn him into a robot.   And when Jesus asked the questions, Paul did not have to answer the questions of Jesus.

Paul's conversion, while not sudden or compulsive, was due entirely to the gracious pursuit of Jesus. Not everybody has sudden flashes of light and voices that say his name. No-one else has seen the historical fact of the Jesus' resurrected body and a call to be an apostle.

Yet there are similarities with us. To be converted, we did not & do not need those things to happen, anymore than we have to travel to the same spot Paul was at on the road to Damascus. We must experience a personal encounter with Jesus, surrendering to Him our will in faith, and receive his order to serve Him.    

Just as Jesus Christ has pursued all people everywhere, over the past 2000 years, to return into a dynamic relationship with Him.  Just as He did me and I handed my life over to Him. Millions of other people have also done that down through the centuries.  My final question to you is - have you?

Today we go back to the beginning of Acts 6.  So far in the book of Acts, we can see that the Church has come under attack by the world (through persecution) and satan (through deceit & moral compromise). A new crisis has appeared.  Unable to destroy the church by way of persecution and deceit, satan now tries to create a split in the church by getting believers to argue and fight with each other.  If satan had succeeded in creating an implosion within this church, the only church in existence at the time, then the effects could have been devastating. 

I have had people tell me they want a church without any form of organizational structure.  If a church has no organizational and leadership structure then it will soon have chaos instead of harmony, and will collapse rather than grow.  Of course, some leaders are corrupt or make wrong decisions as we have seen already, but Godly leaders will not be corrupt and as we shall see, make decisions that are wise and based on prayer and spiritual insights. So, what was the problem, what was the solution and what happened after it was resolved?

The Problem! (Actsv1) Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, a complaint arose from the Hellenists against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily service.

• Good news - they were growing, but this had caused a problem!
• Bad news - Some widows were not being cared for!

Hebraic Jews had always lived in the then nation of Israel, spoke mainly Aramaic and some Hebraic.  They would have been well used to life in a Jewish society, the Temple and avoiding those who were not Jews: the Gentiles.. Grecian or Hellenestic Jews were part of the Jewish Diaspora, born elsewhere within the known world and had returned to Jerusalem.  These mainly spoke Greek, and were well used to working with Gentiles. We know that widows were and are important to God, because justice is important to God.  God is a God of justice and mercy. 

In the Old Testament, under the Law of Moses, God commanded provision for those who were widows, oppressed or uncared for.  The Apostles would have known about God caring for the widows and in Jesus teaching about justice for the poor and the oppressed.  We know this because earlier in Acts 2 and 4, people were selling and sharing possessions and ensuring that people within the Christian community were being looked after and cared for.  This included making sure that everyone got fed, particularly those who had no family to care for them.  Somehow, unintentional or not, this group of widows were missing out. What then happened?

The Solution! (Actsv2-6) The twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, "It is not appropriate for us to forsake the word of God and serve tables.  Therefore select from among you, brothers, seven men of good report, full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.  But we will continue steadfastly in prayer and in the ministry of the word." These words pleased the whole multitude. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch; whom they set before the apostles. When they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.

Three things about the solution

a. Transformation of the Apostles - James, Peter & John particularly (v2) Its not stated here, but a transformation had taken place! Only a few short time ago, the disciples of Jesus had refused to wash feet as an act of service (Peter); some had wanted positions of power and greatness (James & John).  Their old nature must have started asking questions and prompting them to react negatively.  The world has attacked the church, satan has attacked the church, and now satan would have been using the Apostles old nature to attack the church.  But - as they are transformed by the indwelling Holy Spirit and now have a new nature, the nature of Jesus Christ, they react much more righteously and judiciously.

b. All together now! (v2-5) Notice they gathered all the believers together for a church meeting.  The gave their opinion or judgment if you like, that their ministry or time would be better spent doing what God had called them to do - to be leaders of the Church, praying, preaching, evangelizing and discerning how best to apply the 3 years of teaching that they had had when travelling with Jesus Christ before His ascension.  Their time, rightly so, was best spent doing that, for that was their ministry of service.  But other people in the church gathering, who had a ministry of service and overseeing the food distribution, could spend their time doing that!  So what of these seven men with Greek names? They were elected by the whole church, both Grecian and Hebraic, to perform this duty. They may already have been doing it, but now were being set apart especially for this role.  These men were controlled by the Holy Spirit and were wise.  They were chosen to give relief to the leadership so that the Word of God and prayer would not be hindered.

c. Commissioning (v6) Interestingly enough, the word diakonia is translated here as ministry.  Another way to translate it is as deacons.  But, they were not deacons in the way the Paul uses the word as part of a church government in 1 Timothy 3.  Rather they were deacons, set apart for this specific task - it was their ministry.  It may well have been from here, that Paul developed what some parts of the universal church understands of the role of deacons.  So these seven men, were prototypes as it were, for the Paul-ine idea of deacons. Note also that the Apostles didn't say their work was more important than serving.  They were just following what God had called them to do, just as God had called these seven men to take responsibility for providing food for the widows. So they were commissioned by God, by the laying on of hands and set apart to perform it.  We know only of Steven and Phillip and that they continued doing other ministries as well as this.

The Result! (v7) The word of God increased and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem exceedingly. A great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. The result was growth!  Growth and witness may well see the conversion of former enemies. Growth and witness may well see reasoning and transformation. Now that the Apostles had time for their dedicated and unique ministry, all the widows could be fed, and all believers able to participate within the life of the church. 

Not only that, Stephen was instrumental in reaching the Apostle Paul (Acts 7v58). Philip was instrumental in reaching the city of Samaria and won over for Jesus Christ (Acts 8v4-25 ), the Ethiopian Eunuch who would have then taken the gospel to Africa. (Acts 8v26-40 ) This growth was where the word of God increased in its effectiveness in the lives of those unbelievers who would listen to the gospel.  This growth was not merely addition but multiplication! It was explosive! 

So explosive that even former enemies were becoming converts! Sadducees were Jewish believers who didn't believe in a bodily resurrection - yet they came to faith and started to believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It's not hard to imagine that some of those Priests coming to faith in Jesus Christ were former persecutors of the Church!  They were watching the church to see how best to attack and debate them. Yet found that they were joining the church, rather than continuing to oppose it. The church was preaching one thing and acting upon it.  There was no hypocrisy within the church. The church was transparent - it lived as it believed.  The church was seen as transformative and servant-like. 

While the Church continued to reason with others about the validity of Jesus Christ's claims to be the Messiah, it would have not been effective if lives were not being transformed.  If lives were not being changed, then no amount of reasoning alone would have seen the growth in numbers being added to the Church.  Just as transformation and change alone would not have been the catalyst for growth, without the reasoning behind it.

Transformation The early Church was a radical community of believers, growing quickly.  At Pentecost, the church community began when the Holy Spirit filled the Disciples (Acts 2v4). The hallmarks of this community were commitment and transformation. This community was radical. It was where people's lives were being changed as the Holy Spirit filled them. Instead of being a withdrawn people filled with fear of retribution from the Roman government and Jewish leaders, they became a people filled with boldness and joy. This church in Jerusalem grew by being a radical community imbued with radical individuals engaging with others and serving. It was a church where every member was asked and expected to play some role, in the life of the church. 

The Christian life is to be dynamic and active.  As we have seen the word "deacon" here denotes ministry.  Ministry is any service for Jesus Christ. When you serve as God's deacon in this way, God's honour is released.  That's why the embryonic Church in Jerusalem grew and flourished.  This is done because service shows the beauty and glory of Jesus Christ to those being served and to those watching.  That is to be our motive for service. Serving and ministry should never to be about what you and I can get out of it.  When that is the motive, God is not glorified. God's glory and supremacy is our goal as Christians. 

Spiritual growth comes from serving rather than being served.  This is because what ever is given in service of God and others, faith grows and Jesus Christ gives back even more.  Jesus speaking in Matthew 25v15-30 tells of the rewards for faithful service and the penalties for being faithless. Serving others is a sign that you are trusting God and having faith in God.  Serving God and others is the mark of a spiritually maturity and through service, the greatest servant of all, is reflected: Jesus Christ, who came to serve and give his very life for others (Mark 10v45).  As Christians, we are to be as Jesus Christ (Romans 8v28; Philippians 2v5) and to serve.  Yet if we are honest, we sometimes feel incapable, just as Moses did (Exodus 3).  An excellent example to follow is that of the deacon Stephen.

G’day! Welcome to Partakers and to Wednesday Wisdom, where we are listening to what the Bible has to say through the Wisdom literature of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. Come on in!

1 My son, attend to my wisdom, and bow your ear to my understanding:
2 That You may regard discretion, and that your lips may keep knowledge.
3 For the lips of a strange woman drop as a honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:
4 But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.
6 Lest You should ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that You can not know them.
7 Hear me now therefore, O you children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.

8 Remove your way far from her, and come not near to the door of her house:
9 In case you give your honour to others, and your years to the cruel:
10 Lest strangers be filled with your wealth; and your labours be in the house of a stranger;
11 And You mourn at the last, when your flesh and your body are consumed,
12 And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;
13 And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined my ear to them that instructed me!
14 I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.

15 Drink waters out of your own cistern, and running waters out of your own well.
16 Let your fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets.
17 Let them be only your own, and not strangers’ with you.
18 Let your fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of your youth.
19 Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy you at all times; and be You ravished always with her love.
20 And why will you, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?
21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders all his goings.
22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be trapped with the cords of his sins.
23 He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

That’s it for today! Come back every day to Partakers Podcasts to hear something to encourage and uplift you as a Christian disciple, regardless of where you are in the world. You can also purchase our books via Amazon at Pulptheology.com