The Better Reading Plan

Changed: Next Steps for a Changed Life

Soul Detox

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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 bkACT">
 <div class="chapter ch1" data-usfm="ACT.1">
 <div class="label">1</div><div class="s1">Jesus Taken Up Into Heaven</div><div class="p"> 1In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: &#8220;Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5For John baptized with#1:5 Or in water, but in a few days you will be baptized with#1:5 Or in the Holy Spirit.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6Then they gathered around him and asked him, &#8220;Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 7He said to them: &#8220;It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.</div><div class="p"> 10They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11&#8220;Men of Galilee,&#8221; they said, &#8220;why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas</div><div class="p"> 12Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day&#8217;s walk#1:12 That is, about 5/8 mile or about 1 kilometer from the city. 13When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.</div><div class="p"> 15In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 16and said, &#8220;Brothers and sisters,#1:16 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God&#8217;s family; also in 6:3; 11:29; 12:17; 16:40; 18:18, 27; 21:7, 17; 28:14, 15. the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 18(With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. 19Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)</div><div class="p"> 20&#8220;For,&#8221; said Peter, &#8220;it is written in the Book of Psalms:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;May his place be deserted;</div><div class="q2">let there be no one to dwell in it,&#8217;#1:20 Psalm 69:25</div><div class="m">and,</div><div class="q1">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;May another take his place of leadership.&#8217;#1:20 Psalm 109:8</div><div class="m"> 21Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22beginning from John&#8217;s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24Then they prayed, &#8220;Lord, you know everyone&#8217;s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.&#8221; 26Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkACT">
 <div class="chapter ch2" data-usfm="ACT.2">
 <div class="label">2</div><div class="s1">The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost</div><div class="p"> 1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues#2:4 Or languages; also in verse 11 as the Spirit enabled them.</div><div class="p"> 5Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7Utterly amazed, they asked: &#8220;Aren&#8217;t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,#2:9 That is, the Roman province by that name 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11(both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs&#8212;we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!&#8221; 12Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, &#8220;What does this mean?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13Some, however, made fun of them and said, &#8220;They have had too much wine.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Peter Addresses the Crowd</div><div class="p"> 14Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: &#8220;Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It&#8217;s only nine in the morning! 16No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:</div><div class="q1"> 17&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;In the last days, God says,</div><div class="q2">I will pour out my Spirit on all people.</div><div class="q1">Your sons and daughters will prophesy,</div><div class="q2">your young men will see visions,</div><div class="q2">your old men will dream dreams.</div><div class="q1"> 18Even on my servants, both men and women,</div><div class="q2">I will pour out my Spirit in those days,</div><div class="q2">and they will prophesy.</div><div class="q1"> 19I will show wonders in the heavens above</div><div class="q2">and signs on the earth below,</div><div class="q2">blood and fire and billows of smoke.</div><div class="q1"> 20The sun will be turned to darkness</div><div class="q2">and the moon to blood</div><div class="q2">before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.</div><div class="q1"> 21And everyone who calls</div><div class="q2">on the name of the Lord will be saved.&#8217;#2:21 Joel 2:28-32</div><div class="p"> 22&#8220;Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23This man was handed over to you by God&#8217;s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men,#2:23 Or of those not having the law (that is, Gentiles) put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25David said about him:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;I saw the Lord always before me.</div><div class="q2">Because he is at my right hand,</div><div class="q2">I will not be shaken.</div><div class="q1"> 26Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;</div><div class="q2">my body also will rest in hope,</div><div class="q1"> 27because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,</div><div class="q2">you will not let your holy one see decay.</div><div class="q1"> 28You have made known to me the paths of life;</div><div class="q2">you will fill me with joy in your presence.&#8217;#2:28 Psalm 16:8-11 (see Septuagint)</div><div class="p"> 29&#8220;Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. 32God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. 33Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,</div><div class="q1">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;The Lord said to my Lord:</div><div class="q2">&#8220;Sit at my right hand</div><div class="q1"> 35until I make your enemies</div><div class="q2">a footstool for your feet.&#8221;&#8198;&#8217;#2:35 Psalm 110:1</div><div class="p"> 36&#8220;Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 37When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, &#8220;Brothers, what shall we do?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 38Peter replied, &#8220;Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off&#8212;for all whom the Lord our God will call.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 40With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, &#8220;Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.&#8221; 41Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.</div><div class="s1">The Fellowship of the Believers</div><div class="p"> 42They devoted themselves to the apostles&#8217; teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1CO">
 <div class="chapter ch13" data-usfm="1CO.13">
 <div class="label">13</div><div class="p"> 1If I speak in the tongues#13:1 Or languages of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,#13:3 Some manuscripts body to the flames but do not have love, I gain nothing.</div><div class="p"> 4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.</div><div class="p"> 8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.</div><div class="p"> 13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1CO">
 <div class="chapter ch14" data-usfm="1CO.14">
 <div class="label">14</div><div class="s1">Intelligibility in Worship</div><div class="p"> 1Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. 2For anyone who speaks in a tongue#14:2 Or in another language; also in verses 4, 13, 14, 19, 26 and 27 does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. 3But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. 4Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. 5I would like every one of you to speak in tongues,#14:5 Or in other languages; also in verses 6, 18, 22, 23 and 39 but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues,#14:5 Or in other languages; also in verses 6, 18, 22, 23 and 39 unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.</div><div class="p"> 6Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? 7Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the pipe or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? 8Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? 9So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. 10Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. 11If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker is a foreigner to me. 12So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.</div><div class="p"> 13For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. 14For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. 16Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer,#14:16 The Greek word for inquirer is a technical term for someone not fully initiated into a religion; also in verses 23 and 24. say &#8220;Amen&#8221; to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying? 17You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified.</div><div class="p"> 18I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.</div><div class="p"> 20Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults. 21In the Law it is written:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;With other tongues</div><div class="q2">and through the lips of foreigners</div><div class="q1">I will speak to this people,</div><div class="q2">but even then they will not listen to me,</div><div class="q4">says the Lord.&#8221;#14:21 Isaiah 28:11,12</div><div class="p"> 22Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers. 23So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? 24But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, 25as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, &#8220;God is really among you!&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Good Order in Worship</div><div class="p"> 26What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. 27If anyone speaks in a tongue, two&#8212;or at the most three&#8212;should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.</div><div class="p"> 29Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 32The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. 33For God is not a God of disorder but of peace&#8212;as in all the congregations of the Lord&#8217;s people.</div><div class="p"> 34Women#14:33,34 Or peace. As in all the congregations of the Lord&#8217;s people, 34 women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. 35If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.#14:34,35 In a few manuscripts these verses come after verse 40.</div><div class="p"> 36Or did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached? 37If anyone thinks they are a prophet or otherwise gifted by the Spirit, let them acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord&#8217;s command. 38But if anyone ignores this, they will themselves be ignored.#14:38 Some manuscripts But anyone who is ignorant of this will be ignorant</div><div class="p"> 39Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.</div>
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