Elijah. Man of Courage, Man of Faith, Man of God.

The Gospel of Mark (Part Seven)

Fully Devoted

Faith in Hard Times

Returning Home: A Journey of Grace Through the Parable of the Prodigal Son

Homesick for Heaven

Stop Living in Your Head: Capturing Those Dreams and Making Them a Reality

Stormproof

Breath & Blueprint: Your Creative Awakening

Unapologetically Sold Out: 7 Days of Prayers for Millennials to Live Whole-Heartedly Committed to Jesus Christ

The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkJOS">
 <div class="chapter ch4" data-usfm="JOS.4">
 <div class="label">4</div><div class="p"> 1When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2&#8220;Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, 3and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5and said to them, &#8220;Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, &#8216;What do these stones mean?&#8217; 7tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. 9Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been#4:9 Or Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.</div><div class="p"> 10Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua was done by the people, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried over, 11and as soon as all of them had crossed, the ark of the Lord and the priests came to the other side while the people watched. 12The men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, ready for battle, in front of the Israelites, as Moses had directed them. 13About forty thousand armed for battle crossed over before the Lord to the plains of Jericho for war.</div><div class="p"> 14That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses.</div><div class="p"> 15Then the Lord said to Joshua, 16&#8220;Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant law to come up out of the Jordan.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17So Joshua commanded the priests, &#8220;Come up out of the Jordan.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 18And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before.</div><div class="p"> 19On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. 20And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. 21He said to the Israelites, &#8220;In the future when your descendants ask their parents, &#8216;What do these stones mean?&#8217; 22tell them, &#8216;Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.&#8217; 23For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea#4:23 Or the Sea of Reeds when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. 24He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkJOS">
 <div class="chapter ch5" data-usfm="JOS.5">
 <div class="label">5</div><div class="p"> 1Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until they#5:1 Another textual tradition we had crossed over, their hearts melted in fear and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites.</div><div class="s1">Circumcision and Passover at Gilgal</div><div class="p"> 2At that time the Lord said to Joshua, &#8220;Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.&#8221; 3So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.#5:3 Gibeath Haaraloth means the hill of foreskins.</div><div class="p"> 4Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt&#8212;all the men of military age&#8212;died in the wilderness on the way after leaving Egypt. 5All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not. 6The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the Lord. For the Lord had sworn to them that they would not see the land he had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way. 8And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed.</div><div class="p"> 9Then the Lord said to Joshua, &#8220;Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.&#8221; So the place has been called Gilgal#5:9 Gilgal sounds like the Hebrew for roll. to this day.</div><div class="p"> 10On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. 11The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. 12The manna stopped the day after#5:12 Or the day they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.</div><div class="s1">The Fall of Jericho</div><div class="p"> 13Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, &#8220;Are you for us or for our enemies?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 14&#8220;Neither,&#8221; he replied, &#8220;but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.&#8221; Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, &#8220;What message does my Lord#5:14 Or lord have for his servant?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15The commander of the Lord&#8217;s army replied, &#8220;Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.&#8221; And Joshua did so.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkJOS">
 <div class="chapter ch6" data-usfm="JOS.6">
 <div class="label">6</div><div class="p"> 1Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.</div><div class="p"> 2Then the Lord said to Joshua, &#8220;See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams&#8217; horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, &#8220;Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.&#8221; 7And he ordered the army, &#8220;Advance! March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark of the Lord.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the Lord went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the Lord&#8217;s covenant followed them. 9The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. 10But Joshua had commanded the army, &#8220;Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!&#8221; 11So he had the ark of the Lord carried around the city, circling it once. Then the army returned to camp and spent the night there.</div><div class="p"> 12Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the Lord and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets kept sounding. 14So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.</div><div class="p"> 15On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. 16The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, &#8220;Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! 17The city and all that is in it are to be devoted#6:17 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verses 18 and 21. to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. 18But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. 19All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 20When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city. 21They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it&#8212;men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.</div><div class="p"> 22Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, &#8220;Go into the prostitute&#8217;s house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her.&#8221; 23So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother, her brothers and sisters and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.</div><div class="p"> 24Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord&#8217;s house. 25But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho&#8212;and she lives among the Israelites to this day.</div><div class="p"> 26At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: &#8220;Cursed before the Lord is the one who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;At the cost of his firstborn son</div><div class="q2">he will lay its foundations;</div><div class="q1">at the cost of his youngest</div><div class="q2">he will set up its gates.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 27So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkACT">
 <div class="chapter ch4" data-usfm="ACT.4">
 <div class="label">4</div><div class="s1">Peter and John Before the Sanhedrin</div><div class="p"> 1The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. 2They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 3They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. 4But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.</div><div class="p"> 5The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. 6Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest&#8217;s family. 7They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: &#8220;By what power or what name did you do this?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: &#8220;Rulers and elders of the people! 9If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, 10then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11Jesus is</div><div class="q1">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;the stone you builders rejected,</div><div class="q2">which has become the cornerstone.&#8217;#4:11 Psalm 118:22</div><div class="m"> 12Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. 14But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. 15So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. 16&#8220;What are we going to do with these men?&#8221; they asked. &#8220;Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. 17But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 18Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19But Peter and John replied, &#8220;Which is right in God&#8217;s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! 20As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 21After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. 22For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.</div><div class="s1">The Believers Pray</div><div class="p"> 23On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. &#8220;Sovereign Lord,&#8221; they said, &#8220;you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;Why do the nations rage</div><div class="q2">and the peoples plot in vain?</div><div class="q1"> 26The kings of the earth rise up</div><div class="q2">and the rulers band together</div><div class="q1">against the Lord</div><div class="q2">and against his anointed one.#4:26 That is, Messiah or Christ&#8217;#4:26 Psalm 2:1,2</div><div class="m"> 27Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 31After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.</div><div class="s1">The Believers Share Their Possessions</div><div class="p"> 32All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God&#8217;s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35and put it at the apostles&#8217; feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.</div><div class="p"> 36Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means &#8220;son of encouragement&#8221;), 37sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles&#8217; feet.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkACT">
 <div class="chapter ch5" data-usfm="ACT.5">
 <div class="label">5</div><div class="s1">Ananias and Sapphira</div><div class="p"> 1Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2With his wife&#8217;s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles&#8217; feet.</div><div class="p"> 3Then Peter said, &#8220;Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4Didn&#8217;t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn&#8217;t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 5When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.</div><div class="p"> 7About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8Peter asked her, &#8220;Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;Yes,&#8221; she said, &#8220;that is the price.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9Peter said to her, &#8220;How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.</div><div class="s1">The Apostles Heal Many</div><div class="p"> 12The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon&#8217;s Colonnade. 13No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter&#8217;s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.</div><div class="s1">The Apostles Persecuted</div><div class="p"> 17Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. 20&#8220;Go, stand in the temple courts,&#8221; he said, &#8220;and tell the people all about this new life.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 21At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.</div><div class="p">When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin&#8212;the full assembly of the elders of Israel&#8212;and sent to the jail for the apostles. 22But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, 23&#8220;We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.&#8221; 24On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to.</div><div class="p"> 25Then someone came and said, &#8220;Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.&#8221; 26At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.</div><div class="p"> 27The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28&#8220;We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man&#8217;s blood.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 29Peter and the other apostles replied: &#8220;We must obey God rather than human beings! 30The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead&#8212;whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. 31God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. 32We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 33When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. 34But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: &#8220;Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 40His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.</div><div class="p"> 41The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkACT">
 <div class="chapter ch6" data-usfm="ACT.6">
 <div class="label">6</div><div class="s1">The Choosing of the Seven</div><div class="p"> 1In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews#6:1 That is, Jews who had adopted the Greek language and culture among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, &#8220;It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 5This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.</div><div class="p"> 7So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.</div><div class="s1">Stephen Seized</div><div class="p"> 8Now Stephen, a man full of God&#8217;s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. 9Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)&#8212;Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia&#8212;who began to argue with Stephen. 10But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.</div><div class="p"> 11Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, &#8220;We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13They produced false witnesses, who testified, &#8220;This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 14For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.</div>
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