I am assuming that visitors to CCM.CO.ZA are somewhat familiar with the Bible, which is perhaps a dangerous assumption – if the Bible is something new to you, or if you have had very limited exposure to it, it might be a bit confusing once you pick it up to read.
So if you know nothing, or almost nothing, about the Bible, this is for you: a very basic introduction, just to help you find your way around.
The Bible is the authoritative book of the Christian faith. It tells the narrative of God's dealings with humanity, starting from creation until the future end of the world, and the creation of "a new heavens and a new earth".
The word "Bible" comes from the Greek word "biblia", meaning "the books". It is actually a collection of 66 different books, written over a period of about 1,600 years by at least 40 different authors. In its current final form it consists of two parts:
The Old Testament, consisting of 39 individual books, and
The New Testament, consisting of 27 individual books.
It consists of 39 books, and is also the holy book of the Jewish faith. Together with the New Testament it makes up the holy book of the Christian faith. The Old Testament was originally written (mostly) in Hebrew with a few portions written in Aramaic, and consists of three main sections:
¤ History: It starts with the Law, the first five books, also known in the Jewish faith as the Torah (Instruction), containing the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, which is mostly history, as well as the laws given to Israel by God.
Then follows more historical books, covering the history of old Israel from the time they settled in Palestine until about 400BC, when they returned from the Exile. It consists of the books of Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemia.
¤ The Prophets: It's subject matter is mostly prophecies, but it also contains historical sections. It is divided into the Major and Minor prophets, which basically refers to the length of the books (Major = long, Minor = shorter):
The Major Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel.
The Minor Prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.
¤ The Writings: Contains the books of Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, the Song of Songs, Lamentations, and Ecclesiastes. Its subject matter is mostly "wisdom literature", but it also contains also some historical sections.
It is the second part of the Christian Bible, and consists of 27 individual books. It was originally written in Koine ("Common") Greek in the first century AD, by at least 9 different authors, and consists of four main sections:
¤ The Gospels, which tells the story of Jesus from His birth until His ascencion into heaven: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
¤ The Acts of the Apostles, which tells the story of the Christian church and its growth, focusing strongly on the ministry of the apostle Paul, until about AD62. It was written by Luke, a medical doctor, who also wrote the Gospel of Luke.
¤ The Epistles, which are letters to churches and individuals, written by some of Jesus' apostles:
¤¤ Paul wrote at least 13 epistles:
¤¤¤ to churches: Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, and
¤¤¤ to individuals: 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon.
¤¤ Other apostles wrote at least 7 epistles: James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1, 2 & 3 John, and Jude.
¤¤ It is uncertain who wrote the Epistle to the Hebrews: No author is mentioned in the letter, and church tradition offers various possibilities, including Barnabas, Paul's companion on his first missionary journey.
¤ The Book of Revelation was written by the apostle John, and contains letters to seven first century churches, dictated to John by Jesus, and prophecies (foretellings) relating to future developments.
The writing process of the Bible books had a lot to do with its current form. The original manuscripts of all the Bible books were written by hand, on papyrus or parchment, and carefully copied through the ages, until the invention of the printing press by Gutenburg in around AD1440. Added to that, all the books were originally written as one continuous script with no internal divisions or markers, often without punctuation or spaces between words. These days we are taught the importance of "white space" in any piece of writing, but in ancient times that was a cardinal sin – when you were writing on a material that was hand-made from papyrus or animal skin, there was limited space available, and every bit of it had to be used to the fullest.
Fortunately the readers (and copiers) of these ancient manuscripts knew most of its content by heart, memorising it from a young age; so if they wanted to share a particular sentence or two with an audience, the would roll the scroll to the place, or page the papyrus book to the place, and read it. Or show it.
But today.... If you've read something in the Bible, and you want to share it with someone, how do you tell them where to find it? You might say that it is in the book of Jeremiah, but where exactly in this long book?
Actuallly, it's easy for us. If you open any modern Bible, you will see that the books are divided into chapters, and the chapters are divided into verses. So it's easy to tell someone the sentence you want to share is in Jeremiah chapter 29 verse 11. But it wasn't always like that – for more than a millenium after the completion of the Bible people just had the continuous books.
The first New Testament division into topical sections was done in the 4th century AD, but it was only in the year 1205 that Cardinal Stephen Langton had a bright idea and created the chapter divisions used today (sadly, credit for this often goes to a different person, Cardinal Hugo de Sancto Caro).
And then it took a few centuries for verses to be added. Most attribute the verse system of the Old Testament to Rabbi Isaac Nathan ben Kalonymus's work in about AD1440, but the New Testament took a bit longer. The first person to divide New Testament chapters into verses was the Italian Dominican biblical scholar Santes Pagnino, but his system was never widely adopted.
Finally, in 1551, the Parisian printer Robert Estienne created another numbering system in his edition of the Greek New Testament, which was also used in his 1553 publication of the Bible in French. Estienne's system of division was widely adopted, and it is this system which is found in almost all modern Bibles.
The first English Bible to use both chapters and verses was the Geneva Bible published in 1560.
And at last it was possible to refer to a Bible portion in a simple, easy-to-understand manner!
So today the most widely accepted method for referencing is Book chapter(numeral) : verse (numeral) – so our earlier example would be written as Jeremiah 29:11.
In this book we will use the following reference system:
References to chapters (Book names can written in full, mostly abbreviated):
Gen. 1 – refers to chapter 1 of the book of Genesis
Gen. 1-10 – refers to chapters 1 through 10 of the book of Genesis
References to verses: Gen. 1:5 – refers to verse 5 of chapter 1 of the book of Genesis
Gen. 1:26a – refers to the first part of verse 26 of chapter 1 of the book of Genesis
Gen. 1:26b – refers to the second part of verse 26 of chapter 1 of the book of Genesis
Gen. 1:10-15 – refers to verses 10 through 15 of chapter 1 of the book of Genesis
Gen. 1: 7,24 – refers to verses 7 and 24 of chapter 1 of the book of Genesis
Starting to read the Bible as a new believer can seem overwhelming, especially if you have had no or very little contact with the Bible. To help you get into it, and discover a few basic things about the Christian faith, here is a 21-day Bible Reading Plan For New Believers. Read attentively, and think about what it means to you as a new believer.
These Scripture portions will give you some insight into Jesus' ministry, and what He taught His disciples, and what happened after His death and resurrection and return to heaven. Try to find principles that you can apply to your daile life as a believer and follower of Jesus.
You can use any Bible translation, but I recommend using one of the following:
¤ The New International Version (NIV) available for online reading at Biblica.com or at YouVersion.
If you want to buy an excellent Bible app with the NIV and various other translations, I strongly suggest the Life Bible App. Available for Android or iPhone.
¤ The Easy English Bible, especially if you are not a native English speaker. It uses simple words, shorter sentences, and a limited vocabulary (1200 words) to ensure that you can understand the text. You can download it, free of charge (and with no advertising!), from https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.missionassist.eebib.bible
¤ The New Living Translation (NLT) (which is more a paraphrase than a direct translation), available for online reading at Sermon Central. Various apps are also available for Andriod and iPhone.
21-DAY BIBLE READING PLAN FOR NEW BELIEVERS
XDay 1: Mark 1:1-12 (NET)
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
"Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way,
3 the voice of one shouting in the wilderness,
'Prepare the way for the Lord,
make his paths straight'".
4 In the wilderness John the baptizer began preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 People from the whole Judean countryside and all of Jerusalem were going out to him, and he was baptizing them in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins. 6 John wore a garment made of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He proclaimed, "One more powerful than I am is coming after me; I am not worthy to bend down and untie the strap of his sandals. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit".
9 Now in those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan River. 10 And just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: "You are my one dear Son; in you I take great delight".
The beginning of the gospel ("good news") narrative.
XDay 2:Luke 4:1-15 (NET)
1 Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he endured temptations from the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were completed, he was famished. 3 The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread". 4 Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Man does not live by bread alone'".
5 Then the devil led him up to a high place and showed him in a flash all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, "To you I will grant this whole realm – and the glory that goes along with it, for it has been relinquished to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish. 7 So then, if you will worship me, all this will be yours". 8 Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'You are to worship the Lord your God and serve only him'".
9 Then the devil brought him to Jerusalem, had him stand on the highest point of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you', 11 and 'with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone'". 12 Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'You are not to put the Lord your God to the test'". 13 So when the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him until a more opportune time.
14 Then Jesus, in the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and news about him spread throughout the surrounding countryside. 15 He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by all.
Jesus is tempted by the devil, and thereafter starts His ministry.
XDay 3: Luke 5:1-11 (NET)
1 Now Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing around him to hear the word of God. 2 He saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then Jesus sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water and lower your nets for a catch."
5 Simon answered, "Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing! But at your word I will lower the nets."
6 When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets started to tear. 7 So they motioned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they were about to sink.
V8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" 9 For Peter and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, Zebedee's sons, who were Simon's business partners.
Then Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people!" 11 So when they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.
Jesus calls His first disciples
XDay 4: John 4:1-42 (NET)
1 Now when Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard that he was winning and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus himself was not baptizing, but his disciples were), 3 he left Judea and set out once more for Galilee.
4 But he had to pass through Samaria. 5 Now he came to a Samaritan town called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, so Jesus, since he was tired from the journey, sat right down beside the well. It was about noon.
7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me some water to drink." 8 (For his disciples had gone off into the town to buy supplies.) 9 So the Samaritan woman said to him, "How can you – a Jew – ask me, a Samaritan woman, for water to drink?" (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.)
10 Jesus answered her, "If you had known the gift of God and who it is who said to you, 'Give me some water to drink', you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." 11 "Sir", the woman said to him, "you have no bucket and the well is deep; where then do you get this living water? 12 Surely you're not greater than our ancestor Jacob, are you? For he gave us this well and drank from it himself, along with his sons and his livestock."
13 Jesus replied, "Everyone who drinks some of this water will be thirsty again. 14 But whoever drinks some of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again, but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life." 15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water." 16 He said to her, "Go call your husband and come back here." 17 The woman replied, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "Right you are when you said, 'I have no husband', 18 for you have had five husbands, and the man you are living with now is not your husband. This you said truthfully!"
19 The woman said to him, "Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you people say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem." 21 Jesus said to her, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You people worship what you do not know. We worship what we know because salvation is from the Jews. 23 But a time is coming – and now is here – when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such people to be his worshipers. 24 God is spirit, and the people who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." 25 The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (the one called Christ); "whenever he comes, he will tell us everything." 26 Jesus said to her, "I, the one speaking to you, am he."
27 Now at that very moment his disciples came back. They were shocked because he was speaking with a woman. However, no one said, "What do you want?" or "Why are you speaking with her?" 28 Then the woman left her water jar, went off into the town and said to the people, 29 "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Surely he can't be the Messiah, can he?" 30 So they left the town and began coming to him.
31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, Rabbi, eat something." 32 But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about." 33 So the disciples began to say to one another, "No one brought him anything to eat, did they?" 34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to complete his work. 35 Don't you say, 'There are four more months and then comes the harvest?' I tell you, look up and see that the fields are already white for harvest! 36 The one who reaps receives pay and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that the one who sows and the one who reaps can rejoice together. 37 For in this instance the saying is true, 'One sows and another reaps.' 38 I sent you to reap what you did not work for; others have labored and you have entered into their labor."
39 Now many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the report of the woman who testified, "He told me everything I ever did.' 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they began asking him to stay with them. He stayed there two days, 41 and because of his word many more believed. 42 They said to the woman, "No longer do we believe because of your words, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this one really is the Savior of the world."
Jesus ministers to a Samaritan woman, and she brings her whole village to listen to Him.
XACTS 17:16-34 (NET)
16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was greatly upset because he saw the city was full of idols. 17 So he was addressing the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles in the synagogue, and in the marketplace every day those who happened to be there. 18 Also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him, and some were asking, "What does this foolish babbler want to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods". (They said this because he was proclaiming the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.) 19 So they took Paul and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are proclaiming? 20 For you are bringing some surprising things to our ears, so we want to know what they mean". 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there used to spend their time in nothing else than telling or listening to something new.)
22 So Paul stood before the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious in all respects. 23 For as I went around and observed closely your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: 'To an unknown god'. Therefore what you worship without knowing it, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by human hands, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives life and breath and everything to everyone. 26 From one man he made every nation of the human race to inhabit the entire earth, determining their set times and the fixed limits of the places where they would live, 27 so that they would search for God and perhaps grope around for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28 For in him we live and move about and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we too are his offspring'. 29 So since we are God's offspring, we should not think the deity is like gold or silver or stone, an image made by human skill and imagination. 30 Therefore, although God has overlooked such times of ignorance, he now commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has set a day on which he is going to judge the world in righteousness, by a man whom he designated, having provided proof to everyone by raising him from the dead."
32 Now when they heard about the resurrection from the dead, some began to scoff, but others said, "We will hear you again about this". 33 So Paul left the Areopagus. 34 But some people joined him and believed. Among them were Dionysius, who was a member of the Areopagus, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
The apostle Paul explains the gospel to Greek people in Athens.
XACTS 4:13-31 (NET)
13 When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and discovered that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized these men had been with Jesus. 14 And because they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say against this.
15 But when they had ordered them to go outside the council, they began to confer with one another, 16 saying, "What should we do with these men? For it is plain to all who live in Jerusalem that a notable miraculous sign has come about through them, and we cannot deny it. 17 But to keep this matter from spreading any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name".
18 And they called them in and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, "Whether it is right before God to obey you rather than God, you decide, 20 for it is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard". 21 After threatening them further, they released them, for they could not find how to punish them on account of the people, because they were all praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man, on whom this miraculous sign of healing had been performed, was over forty years old.
The apostles Peter and John are arrested for testifying about Jesus, threatened, and released. They go to the other disciples and pray to God about this persecution, asking for boldness to keep on preaching
XACTS 21:1-21 (NET)
1 After five days the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and an attorney named Tertullus, and they brought formal charges against Paul to the governor. 2 When Paul had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying, "We have experienced a lengthy time of peace through your rule, and reforms are being made in this nation through your foresight. 3 Most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this everywhere and in every way with all gratitude. 4 But so that I may not delay you any further, I beg you to hear us briefly with your customary graciousness. 5 For we have found this man to be a troublemaker, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. 6 He even tried to desecrate the temple, so we arrested him. 7 8 When you examine him yourself, you will be able to learn from him about all these things we are accusing him of doing". 9 The Jews also joined in the verbal attack, claiming that these things were true.
10 When the governor gestured for him to speak, Paul replied, "Because I know that you have been a judge over this nation for many years, I confidently make my defense. 11 As you can verify for yourself, not more than 12 days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. 12 They did not find me arguing with anyone or stirring up a crowd in the temple courts or in the synagogues or throughout the city, 13 nor can they prove to you the things they are accusing me of doing. 14 But I confess this to you, that I worship the God of our ancestors according to the Way (which they call a sect), believing everything that is according to the law and that is written in the prophets.
15 I have a hope in God (a hope that these men themselves accept too) that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. 16 This is the reason I do my best to always have a clear conscience toward God and toward people. 17 After several years I came to bring to my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings, 18 which I was doing when they found me in the temple, ritually purified, without a crowd or a disturbance. 19 But there are some Jews from the province of Asia who should be here before you and bring charges, if they have anything against me. 20 Or these men here should tell what crime they found me guilty of when I stood before the council, 21 other than this one thing I shouted out while I stood before them: 'I am on trial before you today concerning the resurrection of the dead'".
The apostle Paul is on a journey to Jerusalem, even though it seems trouble is awaiting him.
XActs 18:1-11 (NET)
1 After this Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to depart from Rome. Paul approached them, 3 and because he worked at the same trade, he stayed with them and worked with them (for they were tentmakers by trade). 4 He addressed both Jews and Greeks in the synagogue every Sabbath, attempting to persuade them.
5 Now when Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul became wholly absorbed with proclaiming the word, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. 6 When they opposed him and reviled him, he protested by shaking out his clothes and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am guiltless! From now on I will go to the Gentiles!"
7 Then Paul left the synagogue and went to the house of a person named Titius Justus, a Gentile who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the president of the synagogue, believed in the Lord together with his entire household, and many of the Corinthians who heard about it believed and were baptized.
9 The Lord said to Paul by a vision in the night, "Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent 10 because I am with you, and no one will assault you to harm you because I have many people in this city". 11 So he stayed there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
Before going to Jesrusalem Paul ministers in the city of Corinth, and is encouraged in a vision.
XLuke 15:11-24 (NET)
11 Then Jesus said, "A man had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate that will belong to me'. So he divided his assets between them. 13 After a few days, the younger son gathered together all he had and left on a journey to a distant country, and there he squandered his wealth with a wild lifestyle.
14 Then after he had spent everything, a severe famine took place in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and worked for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He was longing to eat the carob pods the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired workers have food enough to spare, but here I am dying from hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father and say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired workers"'.
20 So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way from home his father saw him, and his heart went out to him; he ran and hugged his son and kissed him. 21 Then his son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son'. 22 But the father said to his slaves, 'Hurry! Bring the best robe, and put it on him! Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet! 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it! Let us eat and celebrate, 24 because this son of mine was dead, and is alive again – he was lost and is found!' So they began to celebrate.
Jesus tells a parable about a foolish son and how his father welcomes him back.
The story is an illustration of how God is ready to take us back and bless us.
XMark 7:14-23
14 Then he called the crowd again and said to them, "Listen to me, everyone, and understand. 15 There is nothing outside of a person that can defile him by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles him".
17 Now when Jesus had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 He said to them, "Are you so foolish? Don't you understand that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him? 19 For it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and then goes out into the sewer". (This means all foods are clean.) 20 He said, "What comes out of a person defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the human heart, come evil ideas, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, evil, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, pride, and folly. 23 All these evils come from within and defile a person".
Jesus explains to people that evil and sin comes from the inside of a person.
XMatthew 19:1-12 (NET)
Now when Jesus finished these sayings, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan River. 2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
3 Then some Pharisees came to him in order to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful to divorce a wife for any cause?" 4 He answered, "Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female, 5 and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate". 7 They said to him, "Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?" 8 Jesus said to them, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of your hard hearts, but from the beginning it was not this way. 9 Now I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another commits adultery".
10 The disciples said to him, "If this is the case of a husband with a wife, it is better not to marry!" 11 He said to them, "Not everyone can accept this statement, except those to whom it has been given. 12 For there are some eunuchs who were that way from birth, and some who were made eunuchs by others, and some who became eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who is able to accept this should accept it".
The Pharisees try to trap Jesus with a question about marriage, but he outsmarts them and uses it as an occasion to teach His disciples.
XActs 5:1-11 (NET)
1 Now a man named Ananias, together with Sapphira his wife, sold a piece of property. 2 He kept back for himself part of the proceeds with his wife's knowledge; he brought only part of it and placed it at the apostles' feet. 3 But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back for yourself part of the proceeds from the sale of the land? 4 Before it was sold, did it not belong to you? And when it was sold, was the money not at your disposal? How have you thought up this deed in your heart? You have not lied to people but to God!"
5 When Ananias heard these words he collapsed and died, and great fear gripped all who heard about it. 6 So the young men came, wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him. 7 After an interval of about three hours, his wife came in, but she did not know what had happened. 8 Peter said to her, "Tell me, were the two of you paid this amount for the land?" Sapphira said, "Yes, that much". 9 Peter then told her, "Why have you agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out!" 10 At once she collapsed at his feet and died. So when the young men came in, they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear gripped the whole church and all who heard about these things.
This tells about a husband and wife who tried to lie to the church, and therefor to God, to try and impress everyone.
X1 Samuel 24:2-22
2 When Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, "Look, David is in the desert of En Gedi". 2 So Saul took 3,000 select men from all Israel and went to find David and his men in the region of the rocks of the mountain goats. 3 He came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave. Saul went into it to relieve himself.
Now David and his men were sitting in the recesses of the cave. 4 David's men said to him, "This is the day about which the Lord said to you, 'I will give your enemy into your hand, and you can do to him whatever seems appropriate to you'". So David got up and quietly cut off an edge of Saul's robe. 5 Afterward David's conscience bothered him because he had cut off an edge of Saul's robe. 6 He said to his men, "May the Lord keep me far away from doing such a thing to my lord, who is the Lord's chosen one, by extending my hand against him. After all, he is the Lord's chosen one". 7 David restrained his men with these words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. Then Saul left the cave and started down the road.
8 Afterward David got up and went out of the cave. He called out to Saul, "My lord, O king!" When Saul looked behind him, David kneeled down and bowed with his face to the ground. 9 David said to Saul, "Why do you pay attention when men say, 'David is seeking to do you harm'? 10 Today your own eyes see how the Lord delivered you – this very day – into my hands in the cave. Some told me to kill you, but I had pity on you and said, 'I will not extend my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord's chosen one'. 11 Look, my father, and see the edge of your robe in my hand! When I cut off the edge of your robe, I didn't kill you. So realize and understand that I am not planning evil or rebellion. Even though I have not sinned against you, you are waiting in ambush to take my life. 12 May the Lord judge between the two of us, and may the Lord vindicate me over you, but my hand will not be against you. 13 It's like the old proverb says: 'From evil people evil proceeds'. But my hand will not be against you. 14 Who has the king of Israel come out after? Who is it that you are pursuing? A dead dog? A single flea? 15 May the Lord be our judge and arbiter. May he see and arbitrate my case and deliver me from your hands".
16 When David finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, "Is that your voice, my son David?" Then Saul wept loudly. 17 He said to David, "You are more innocent than I, for you have treated me well, even though I have tried to harm you. 18 You have explained today how you have treated me well. The Lord delivered me into your hand, but you did not kill me. 19 Now if a man finds his enemy, does he send him on his way in good shape? May the Lord repay you with good this day for what you have done to me. 20 Now look, I realize that you will in fact be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands. 21 So now swear to me in the Lord's name that you will not kill my descendants after me or destroy my name from the house of my father".
22 David promised Saul this on oath. Then Saul went to his house, and David and his men went up to the stronghold.
Tells about David and Saul, and how David refuses to sin against God when he refuses to kill Saul, who was trying to catch and kill him.
XMatthew 4:43-48 NET)
43 [Jesus speaking] "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor' and 'hate your enemy'. 44 But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be like your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors do the same, don't they? 47 And if you only greet your brothers, what more do you do? Even the Gentiles do the same, don't they? 48 So then, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect".
Jesus teaches His followers to love their enemies instead of hating them. (Like David did in the previous reading.)
XLuke 18:9-14 (NET)
9 Jesus also told this parable to some who were confident that they were righteous and looked down on everyone else. 10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself like this: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people: extortionists, unrighteous people, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get'. 13 The tax collector, however, stood far off and would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, be merciful to me, sinner that I am!' 14 I tell you that this man went down to his home justified rather than the Pharisee. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted".
Jesus teaches His followers to be humble in their prayers, not try to impress God.
XMatthew 26:39-42 (NET)
36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." 37 He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and he became anguished and distressed. 38 Then he said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with me".
39 Going a little farther, he threw himself down with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me! Yet not what I will, but what you will". 40 Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, "So, couldn't you stay awake with me for one hour? 41 Stay awake and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak".
42 He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will must be done".
43 He came again and found them sleeping; they could not keep their eyes open. 44 So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same thing once more.
Jesus prays to His Father the night before his death, that the Father's will should be done.
XMatthew 18:21-35 (NET)
21 Then Peter came to him and said, "Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother who sins against me? As many as seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, I tell you, but seventy-seven times!
23 "For this reason, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 As he began settling his accounts, a man who owed 10,000 talents was brought to him. 25 Because he was not able to repay it, the lord ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, children, and whatever he possessed, and repayment to be made. 26 Then the slave threw himself to the ground before him, saying, 'Be patient with me, and I will repay you everything'. 27 The lord had compassion on that slave and released him, and forgave him the debt.
28 After he went out, that same slave found one of his fellow slaves who owed him 100 silver coins. So he grabbed him by the throat and started to choke him, saying, 'Pay back what you owe me!' 29 Then his fellow slave threw himself down and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will repay you'. 30 But he refused. Instead, he went out and threw him in prison until he repaid the debt. 31 When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were very upset and went and told their lord everything that had taken place.
32 Then his lord called the first slave and said to him, 'Evil slave! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me! 33 Should you not have shown mercy to your fellow slave, just as I showed it to you?' 34 And in anger his lord turned him over to the prison guards to torture him until he repaid all he owed. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to you, if each of you does not forgive your brother from your heart".
Jesus teaches His disciples about forgiveness.
XLuke 23:33-46 (NET)
33 So when they came to the place that is called "The Skull", they crucified him there, along with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 But Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing". Then they threw dice to divide his clothes. 35 The people also stood there watching, but the leaders ridiculed him, saying, "He saved others. Let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, his chosen one!" 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, 37 and saying, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!" 38 There was also an inscription over him, "This is the king of the Jews".
39 One of the criminals who was hanging there railed at him, saying, "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, "Don’t you fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we rightly so, for we are getting what we deserve for what we did, but this man has done nothing wrong". 42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom". 43 And Jesus said to him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise".
44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, 45 because the sun's light failed. The temple curtain was torn in two. 46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" And after he said this he breathed his last.
Jesus prays for forgiveness for those who crucify Him, and dies.
XMattheww 28:1-10 (NET)
1 Now after the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 Suddenly there was a severe earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descending from heaven came and rolled away the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were shaken and became like dead men because they were so afraid of him.
5 But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has been raised, just as he said. Come and see the place where he was lying. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has been raised from the dead. He is going ahead of you into Galilee. You will see him there'. Listen, I have told you!"
8 So they left the tomb quickly, with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 But Jesus met them, saying, "Greetings!" They came to him, held on to his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee. They will see me there."
Jesus rises from the dead, and appear to some of his followers.
XMatthew 28: 16-20 (NET)
16 So the 11 disciples went to Galilee to the mountain Jesus had designated. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted.
18 Then Jesus came up and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age".
Jesus commands His disciples to make disciples of all people, and promises that He will always be with them.
XActs 1:7-11 (NET)
7 He told them, "You are not permitted to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth".
9 After he had said this, while they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 As they were still staring into the sky while he was going, suddenly two men in white clothing stood near them 11 and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking up into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come back in the same way you saw him go into heaven".
Jesus promise his disciples that they will receive power to be His witnesses when the Holy Spirit comes on them (Acts 2).
He ascends to heaven, and two angels tell the disciples that He will return again.
If you have any questions which should be answered in this introduction, please send a mail with your suggestions to
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I am assuming that visitors to CCM.CO.ZA are somewhat familiar with the Bible, which is perhaps a dangerous assumption – if the Bible is something new to you, or if you have had very limited exposure to it, it might be a bit confusing once you pick it up to read.
¤ History:
¤ The Gospels, which tells the story of Jesus from His birth until His ascencion into heaven: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
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