Thematic Bible: Effective


Thematic Bible



He preached in the synagogues immediately. He preached Christ the Son of God.

Then Paul stood up gestured with his hand and said: Men of Israel, and you who reverence God, listen. The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they lived as strangers in the land of Egypt. He brought them out of Egypt with his great strength. He cared for them and endured their bad conduct in the wilderness for forty years. read more.
He destroyed seven nations in Canaan and gave their land to his people as their inheritance. Then he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. This took about four hundred and fifty years. Afterward they desired a king. God gave Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, to them for forty years. When he removed him, he made David their king. He testified about him when he said: I found David the son of Jesse is a man after my own heart. He will do my will. God brought the Savior Jesus to Israel from this man's descendants. Before Jesus came John preached the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. As John accomplished his purpose he asked: Who do you think I am? I am not that one. One comes after me whose shoes I am not worthy to untie. Men and brothers, children of Abraham, and you of the nations who respect God, the message of salvation is sent to you. The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not know Jesus. They fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath when they condemned Jesus. They found no grounds for the death sentence for him. Yet they asked Pilate to put him to death. When they had fulfilled all that was written about him, they took him down from the stake, and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead: Those who came with him from Galilee to Jerusalem saw him. They are his witnesses to the people. We tell you good news. It is God's promise to the fathers. God has fulfilled this promise to their children by resurrecting Jesus. Just as it is written in the second psalm: You are my Son, today I have become your father. (Psalms 2:7) He raised him up from the dead, never to decay. It is stated in these words: I will give you the sure blessings promised David. (Isaiah 55:3) He said in another psalm: You will not allow your Holy One to see decay. (Ps 16:10) After David served his own generation by doing the will of God he died and was buried with his fathers. His body decayed. But he (Jesus), whom God raised again, saw no decay. You should know, men and brothers that it is through this man Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him all who believe are justified from all things. You could not be justified through the Law of Moses. Beware that what the prophets said does not happen to you. Look among the nations, watch, and be amazed. Though you are told you will not believe the work I do today. (Habakkuk 1:5) When the Jews left the synagogue the people asked for this message to be preached to them the next Sabbath. When the congregation dismissed, many followed Paul and Barnabas. They urged them to continue in the grace of God.


He went and an Ethiopian eunuch (government official), a man of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem to worship. He was returning and sitting in his chariot reading Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit said to Philip: Go near, and climb on this chariot. read more.
Philip ran to him, heard him read the prophet Isaiah, and said: Do you understand what you are reading? How can I, the eunuch said: unless someone explains it to me? He invited Philip to come and sit with him. The Scripture he read was this: He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer so he did not open his mouth. In his humiliation his judgment was taken away. Who will declare his generation? For his life is taken from the earth. The eunuch asked Philip: Please tell me of whom is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else? Then Philip began at the same Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. On their way, they came to a body of water and the eunuch said, See, here is water. What prevents me from getting baptized? Philip said: If you believe with all your heart, you may. He answered: I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He commanded the chariot to stop. They both went into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

Then Philip went to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ to them. The people with one accord gave heed to those things Philip spoke, hearing and seeing the miracles he did. Unclean spirits, crying with loud voices, came out of many who were possessed by them. Many who were taken with palsies and the lame were healed. read more.
There was great joy in that city. A certain man called Simon was in the same city. He used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, telling everyone that he was great. They all listened to him, from the least to the greatest, saying: This man has great power from God. They followed him because for a long time he astonished them with sorceries. When they believed what Philip preached about the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.


God's Spirit came to Azariah, son of Oded. Azariah went to Asa and said: Listen to me Asa and all you men from Judah and Benjamin. Jehovah is with you when you are with him. If you will dedicate your lives to serve him, he will accept you. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you. Israel was without the true God for a long time. They were without a priest who taught correctly, and without law. read more.
When they were in trouble they turned to Jehovah the God of Israel. When they searched for him, he let them find him. No one could come and go in peace at that time. This is because everyone living in the land had a lot of turmoil. One nation crushed another nation. One city crushed another. God tormented them with every kind of trouble. But you must remain strong and not become discouraged. Your actions will be rewarded. Asa heard the prophet Oded's words of prophecy. He was encouraged and put away the detestable idols from all of Judah, Benjamin, and the cities he had captured in the mountains of Ephraim. He also repaired Jehovah's altar in front of Jehovah's entrance hall. Then Asa gathered all the people from Judah and Benjamin and the foreigners who had come from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon. Many of them had come to him from Israel when they saw that Asa's God, Jehovah, was with him. In the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa's reign, they gathered in Jerusalem. They sacrificed to Jehovah a part of the loot they brought with them: seven hundred cattle and seven thousand sheep. They made an agreement with one another to dedicate their lives to serve the true God Jehovah, the God of their ancestors with all their heart and all their being. All people, young and old, male and female, who refused to dedicate their lives to the true God Jehovah the God of Israel were to be killed. Asa and the people swore their oath to Jehovah with shouts, singing, and the blowing of trumpets and rams' horns. All the people of Judah were overjoyed because of the oath. They took the oath wholeheartedly. They took great pleasure in looking for Jehovah. And he let them find him. So Jehovah surrounded them with rest and peace.


But Peter, stood up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said to them: You men of Judea, and all you who dwell at Jerusalem let me explain this to you. Listen to my words. These men are not drunk as you suppose for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. This is what the prophet Joel spoke about: read more.
It will come to pass in the last days, says God, I will pour out from my Spirit upon all flesh. (Greek: apo, from) Your sons and your daughters will prophesy (proclaim God's Word). Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out (a portion from) (some of) my Spirit in those days and they will prophesy: (Joel 2:28) I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath: blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable (awesome) Day of Jehovah arrives. (Joel 2:31) It will come to pass, that whoever will call on the name of Jehovah will be saved. (Joel 2:32) You men of Israel hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God came among you with miracles and wonders and signs. God did these by him in your midst, as you also know: You took this man and delivered him by the determined counsel (purpose) and foreknowledge of God. With wicked hands you impaled and murdered him. God resurrected him, loosing the pains of death. This is because it was not possible that he should be held fast by it. David spoke concerning him: 'I had Jehovah always before my face, for he is at my right hand, that I should not be shaken. (Psalm 16:8) Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because you will not leave me in the grave, neither will you allow your Holy One to see corruption. (Psalm 16:10) You have made known to me the ways of life, and you will fill me with joy with your presence.' Men and brothers let me freely speak to you about the patriarch David that he is dead and buried. His grave is with us to this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne. He seeing this before spoke about the resurrection of Christ. That he would not be left in the grave and his flesh did not see corruption. God resurrected Jesus and we all witnessed this! He is exalted to the right hand of God. He has received the promised Holy Spirit from the Father. So he poured out what you now see and hear. For David has not ascended into heaven and yet he said: 'Jehovah said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.' (Psalm 110:1) Therefore let all the house of Israel know for sure that God has made that same Jesus, whom you impaled, both Lord and Christ. (Acts 10:36) Now when they heard this, they were stabbed to the heart, and said to Peter and to the rest of the apostles: Men and brothers, what shall we do? Then Peter said: Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is to you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as Jehovah our God calls. (Micah 4:5) (Deuteronomy 6:4) He gave a thorough witness with many words and exhorted them, saying: Save yourselves from this indecent generation. Those who gladly received his word were baptized. About three thousand persons were added the same day.