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Sermon: Food Sacrificed To Idols (1 Corinthians 8) 1 Now about food sacrificed to idols: we know that ‘We all possess knowledge.’ But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 2 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3 But whoever loves God is known by God. 4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: we know that ‘An idol is nothing at all in the world’ and that ‘There is no God but one.’ 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’), 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live. 7 But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. 9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling-block to the weak. 10 For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall. Right Mouse click or tap here to save this as an audio mp3 file You  may well at first think that this passage, at least on the surface of  it, has very little relevance, if any, for us today. But as we go on,  hopefully we will find that it indeed does have something for God to  speak into our lives today. Come on in!

Sermon: Church: Past, Present and Future (Matthew 16:13-20) The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly caused people and nations of the world, – even nations who are enemies of each other, to globally stop and think together. That is also true of the Church, globally. As you are aware because this is going straight to YouTube instead of being done physically at Poulner Chapel as part of a Worship service. I know some people who didn’t think internet Church was really Church. That is until now. They soon changed their minds., I don’t know when you are viewing or listening to this, but if you are in the year 2021 or even the year 2121, a few months ago things changed almost overnight in the way that most people engaged with Church and also Church practise was also changed. Let's go on to investigate more about this Church and the role we have to play in Jesus Christ building His Church. He is building it, not us, but He does use us to do so! Come on in! Right Mouse click or tap here to save this as an audio mp3 file 13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ 14 They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ 15 ‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ 16 Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ 17 Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. (New International Version) Matthew 16:13-20 To discover what more is said, please do download the audio to hear this sermon... Thank you!  You can now purchase our Partakers books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site! Click or tap on the appropriate link below to subscribe, share or download our iPhone App!

I am sure you are aware that we are in the grip of the CoronaVirus pandemic. With that in mind, in this series leading up to Easter, where we are reading Scripture together, particularly Psalms of lament and repentance as well as the book of Lamentations. As each Scripture is read, listen in an attitude of prayer, and perhaps repeat the words to yourself. Feel the very raw emotions of the words and agony of the original writer and at the heart of God Himself. Yet also listen out for those little words of joy and hope that are hidden within. Then after listening, pray to God using that piece of Scripture. Lamenting can be part of our worship & prayer life – as individuals and corporately - just as it was for the ancient people of Israel and the early Church. There is much to lament in the world at the moment, particularly regarding the Corona Virus pandemic. But as we lament, we also know that God is in control and that He has not left us alone in our lament but is by our side, embracing us and wiping our tears. Today we are reading and praying Lamentations 4. Come on in! Readings and Prayers of Lament 1 How the gold has lost its lustre, the fine gold become dull! The sacred gems are scattered at every street corner. ----- 16 The LORD himself has scattered them; he no longer watches over them. The priests are shown no honour, the elders no favour. (Lamentations 4:1, 16)

Day 3. Lamentations 3 I  am sure you are aware that we are in the grip of the CoronaVirus  pandemic. With that in mind, in this series leading up to Easter, where  we are reading Scripture together, particularly Psalms of lament and  repentance as well as the book of Lamentations. As each Scripture is  read, listen in an attitude of prayer, and perhaps repeat the words to  yourself. Feel the very raw emotions of the words and agony of the  original writer and at the heart of God Himself. Yet also listen out for  those little words of joy and hope that are hidden within. Then after  listening, pray to God using that piece of Scripture. Today we are reading and praying Lamentations 3. Come on in! 2 He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness rather than light; 3 indeed, he has turned his hand against me again and again, all day long. ----- 21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: 22 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:2-3, 21-23)

Day 2. Lamentations 2 I  am sure you are aware that we are in the grip of the CoronaVirus  pandemic. With that in mind, in this series leading up to Easter, where  we are reading Scripture together, particularly Psalms of lament and  repentance as well as the book of Lamentations. As each Scripture is  read, listen in an attitude of prayer, and perhaps repeat the words to  yourself. Feel the very raw emotions of the words and agony of the  original writer and at the heart of God Himself. Yet also listen out for  those little words of joy and hope that are hidden within. Then after  listening, pray to God using that piece of Scripture. Today we are reading and praying Lamentations 2. Come on in! 1 How has the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger! He has cast the beauty of Israel down from heaven to the earth, and hasn’t remembered his footstool in the day of his anger. 2 The Lord has swallowed up all the dwellings of Jacob without pity. He has thrown down in his wrath the strongholds of the daughter of Judah. He has brought them down to the ground. He has profaned the kingdom and its princes. (Lamentations 2:1-2) Lamenting  can be part of our worship & prayer life – as individuals and  corporately - just as it was for the ancient people of Israel and the  early Church. There is much to lament in the world at the moment,  particularly regarding the Corona Virus pandemic. But as we lament, we  also know that God is in control and that He has not left us alone in  our lament but is by our side, embracing us and wiping our tears.

G’day! Welcome to Partakers Podcasts on Anchor! Today we start a series where we are reading Scripture together, particularly Psalms of lament and repentance as well as the book of Lamentations. As each Scripture is read, listen in an attitude of prayer, and perhaps repeat the words to yourself. Feel the very raw emotions of the words and agony of the original writer and at the heart of God Himself. Yet also listen out for those little words of joy and hope that are hidden within. Then after listening, pray to God using that piece of Scripture. Lamenting can be a part of our worship & prayer life – as individuals and corporately - just as it was for the ancient people of Israel and the early Church. There is much to lament in the world at the moment, particularly regarding the Corona Virus pandemic. But as we lament, we also know that God is in control and that He has not left us alone in our lament but is by our side, embracing us and wiping our tears. Today we are reading and praying together Lamentations 1 Come on in!

Sermon - Understanding the Kingdom (John 3:1-21)  There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. 2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.” 3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” 4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” 5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. 7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You[d] must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” 9 “How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked. 10 Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? 11 I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. 12 But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. 16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. 18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” (John 3:1-21) New Living Translation To discover what more Jesus says about God's Kingdom, particularly concerning this passage, please do come and listen! You can also right mouse click or tap here to download the audio.

Partakers Bible Thought 6 June 2021 G'day! The world is in love, with love! Love sells everything! But what, or rather, who, started love? God did! The Bible tells the story of this God of love and we are going to very briefly in our time together talk about this great subject! Perhaps more books are written about the love of God than anything else! How is God love? "LORD, give me your unfailing love, the salvation that you promised me." (Psalm 119:41) Long ago the LORD said to Israel: “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself. (Jeremiah 31:3) "Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them." (John 14:21) As Christians, we proclaim God is love! Today we briefly explore how God is love, what kind of love this is and how this love is seen! What does that mean for us as Christians today? Listen to the podcast to hear more about this amazing aspect of God and its impact on your life and the world around you. Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file You can now purchase our Partakers books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site!

The WOW factor of Jesus Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16v24-26) The Jesus I hear about today from some people outside the church, as well as inside the Church, bears no resemblance to the Jesus who said those words. They are comfortable with a Jesus who is at their mercy and who doesn't ask too much of them! They like putting Jesus in a box and only opening the box to let Him out when required! That Jesus is an insipid, nodding head, Jesus - worthy only of being on the back shelf of a car and that's about all. But that is exactly the opposite of the Jesus who said those words from Matthew - the Jesus who commands obedience and sacrifice! As I look through the Old Testament, I read about how the world fell out of a living, dynamic relationship with God! But I also read how a Messiah, a saviour or rescuer if you like, was to be sent by God, in order to restore the world back into an intimate, living relationship with God Himself! I read the Gospels in the New Testament and I see this Messiah as the God-man, Jesus Christ. As I read the rest of the Bible's New Testament and the history of the followers of Jesus Christ and the spread of his followers, the church, through its birth and early life, I get a WOW factor about Him. But for a lot of people today, including those who would call themselves a Christian, their view or vision of Jesus is still too small. So I wonder, is your Jesus too small?  As I regularly read the Bible, I see at least a six-sided portrait of Him! There are many more, but we don't have time for that today, you might be thankful to hear! So the Jesus we will learn together about today in this podcast is: Jesus -unique, majestic, tender, wise, strong and lovely. Is this your Jesus? Listen to the audio to find out more about this Jesus! Right mouse click here to download as a MP3 audio file You can now purchase our Partakers books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site!

A God of Wonder - Genesis 1:1-19 & John 1:1-14 We read Genesis 1:1 - “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…” This is that moment in time when God, who is outside of time and space, created the universe which is 90 billion light years across. Within this universe, He created galaxies, including our own, the Milky Way. Within the Milky Way, God created a Solar system which contains our Planet Earth. God created the planet Earth and placed it so that it would always be just the right distance away from the Sun in order to support life. Never too close and never too far away as the Earth orbits the Sun. Just right. We see in this story from Genesis 1, that Almighty God created, hovered, separated, made, let be, gathered, called, saw, commanded, set, gave and blessed. He said let there be light, and there was! A great God of Wonder is He! Do you know this God? For the remainder of this sermon, download and listen to the Podcast. Thank you... Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file You can now purchase our Partakers books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site!

Daniel 8 - Worlds In Conflict We are looking today at an intriguing piece of Scripture - Daniel 8! In Chapter 7, the prophet Daniel had a dream of 4 animals, which were a winged lion, a bear, a winged leopard and a beast.  So let us read together Daniel 8. v1-4 In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, even to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first. I saw in the vision; now it was so, that when I saw, I was in the citadel of Susa, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in the vision, and I was by the river Ulai. Then I lifted up my eyes, and saw, and behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; and no animals could stand before him, neither was there any who could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and magnified himself. v27 I, Daniel, fainted, and was sick certain days; then I rose up, and did the king's business: and I wondered at the vision, but none understood it. Here in Chapter 8, we look at the bear, which is described here as a ram, and a winged leopard that is described as a goat. Unlike his previous two visions which occurred at night, this one occurs during the day. Daniel was transported in the Spirit to Susa, a major city of the Babylon & Persian empires. He sat down beside the Ulai canal, nine hundred feet wide and connected two large rivers so that boats could easily pass from one to the other. Spiritually seated by the river, he lifted up his eyes. He saw a ram, a male sheep, that had two horns, and as he watched, one of its horns became larger than the other. Grab your Bible, and listen to the podcast to find out more about this intriguing and wonderful piece of Scripture! Right mouse click or tap here to save this Podcast as a MP3.

Once again, we are praying a prayer together concerning the Corona Virus Pandemic. I am sure each of us knows somebody who has contracted this virus, and quite possibly succumbed to it and died because of it. Come! Let's pray together! O great God, as you know, we are in the midst of this wretched COVID-19 global pandemic. O Great Comforter, embrace those grieving the loss of loved ones and wipe their tears. We don’t know the right way to combat this pandemic, but we know and trust that you do. Therefore, give wisdom and courage to all those involved in its treatment, prevention, cure and vaccine, including our government and leaders. May the vaccines be distributed diligently, justly, quickly and efficiently. We thank you O God that they were prepared by wise people. We thank you for all those caring for others during this time – carers, nurses, medics and others. May you O God, give them courage and wisdom. Amen Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file You can now purchase our Partakers books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site!

  Chocolate Christianity Have you ever noticed that chocolate melts under pressure & heat? If you haven't, take a piece of chocolate and hold it between your fingers! It will soon melt! If you are a Christian, you need to be active in your local church so that you don't melt under pressure and you will remain firm in your faith! Otherwise you will be a chocolate Christian who easily gives up under the stress and pressure of every day life! At a church local to where you live, you are needed regardless of who you are! Perhaps this is you? But why should you be involved? Interested observer but not a committed Christian Not bothered Not good enough Just want to be left alone Don't know how to be involved Don't know why being involved is important Too busy Why? You have talents to be used!! Why? We are dependent on each other Why? Improve your serve! Why? To follow Jesus GO! So if you find you are currently inactive in your local church, then please go and make yourself available to serve there! Ask your pastor or church leader how you can help out! By doing so, and submitting yourself to the Holy Spirit who indwells you, the lives of other people could be changed for God's greater glory because of your acts of service and worship. Right mouse click to save this Podcast as a MP3. You can now purchase our books! Please do click here to visit our Amazon site!

Today we are praying a prayer together concerning the Corona Virus Pandemic. I  am sure each of us knows somebody who has contracted this virus, if  indeed they succumbed to it and has died because of it. Come! Let's pray  together!