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The book of Genesis

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Welcome to the start of the Bible. The whole Bible has three main themes: (1) God  in relation to the world; (2) what is wrong; and (3) how it can be put right. The first eleven chapters of Genesis are a sort-of ‘prologue to the Bible’. Most of the principles on major matters are laid out. We will learn about God, creation, humans, sex, relationships, marriage, family, civilization, government, sin, death, murder, and war. Genesis gives us the teaching in a simple, historical story style. It is history but written in a very simple way.

For the sake of this background we will look at the broad themes in Genesis and then highlight one example of how to get deeper understanding from this foundational teaching. The major themes in Genesis are creation (1-2), the fall (3-4), the flood (5-9), Babel (10-11), the call of Abraham (12-38) and the descent into Egypt (39-50). Each of these sections plays a vital role in the story of God and his people and each of them is filled with stories packed with teaching and relevance for us.

By way of example, let’s look at Genesis 1-2 – The story of creation. The Bible starts with “In the beginning, God.” Genesis is about the God who created more than about the creation! What do we learn from Genesis then about the creator? God is personal (not an it but a he), God has always been there, God is powerful, God is creative, God is orderly, God is singular, God is plural, God is good, God is living, God communicates, God is like us, God is unlike us, God doesn’t need anything. Phew! That’s a lot! Remember to ask the question, “what is the teaching here?” That’s what we have to ask when we read the scriptures.

Enjoy Genesis. Read slowly, thoughtfully. Try your best to put yourself into the story. Pray. Ask God to show you what you need to know right now from what you are reading. He will, you’ll see.

Read the Bible in a year

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Join us as we read through The Bible together this year. We’ll be using a One Year Blended Chronological reading plan. With just a few chapters a day you can read through the entire Bible in one year, alternating between Old and New Testament readings.  These readings are compiled according to up-to-date historical research, taking into account the order in which the recorded events actually occurred. It will help you to add valuable historical context to your reading of The Bible.

Get the PDF version


Click here to download

Get the print version

We have printed versions of the plan available from the info desk on Sundays at Bedfordview, or your resident leaders at the other sites.

Go digital

This Bible reading plan is also available on these popular free apps for your mobile device:

The Bible App


OliveTree’s Bible Study App

Once you’ve installed the app on your mobile device simply search for “Chronological” in the reading plans.

You can use the apps to set a reminder for yourself and even listen to audio recordings of your daily readings.

Tips for finishing

1. Breathe. Don’t panic. You can do this. There’s no pressure. The plan means you only need to put aside a few minutes a day. If you don’t manage, don’t beat yourself up! Try and catch up when you have some more time.

2. Make use of the audio options on the digital versions. This way you can listen to the reading of the day in the car on the way to work. Reading is better (you are more engaged) but if you’re falling behind, use this option!

3. Don’t expect it to be amazing every time. Sometimes we think that if we didn’t ‘feel anything’ we didn’t really do anything. Reading the Bible is about a deep and slow transformation. It’s not always a time of unbelievable revelation. Every time we read God is speaking to us.

4. Find a place and time. Mornings might work better for you. Or perhaps a lunch break. Or perhaps in the evenings after the kids are put to bed. Home might be easier or the office might be easier. Even at the office or home, pick a regular spot – a specific chair or something along those lines. We are creatures of habit. Having a dedicated place and time helps to make it easier to get it done.

5. Journal. As you go through the Bible, take some time to jot down your thoughts. You’ll be amazed when you read back on these thoughts! Journalling helps to inspire us along the way.

Background info on the books of the Bible (updated as we progress through the reading plan)

Update from Montenegro

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Dear friends,

Greetings from Montenegro.

These photos (below) are sign of a little seed planted for the future of our church. Young brother Daniel’s decision to commit his life fully to the Lord Jesus brought lots of joy to all of us and I just wanted to share it with you. Quite often you hear about our needs and problems, and this is something I believe you will receive more from us in the future.

Since the end of the year 2013 we, as a family and as the church, have been passing through hard times. We experienced church split. People whom I’ve ministered to 15 years, left me for different reasons. We as a family lost our love ones, who passed away. We lost friends, who believed the lies about us. We lost supporters, who were helping us financially.

But, thank God, and thank you dear friends who are still with us, still believing the best for us, even in the time when we are weak, and trusting us that we haven’t lose our focus, even if we are going through hard times.

Thank you for your good and positive attitude about us, thanks for your prayers and actually thank you for everything you are doing for us. Thank you for letting us know that we are not alone.

Friends, we are right now witnessing a clear picture of what is going on in our midst. We have been going through long and bloody war. One of the battles is over. Gunpowder dust has lifted up and finally we are able to see the results of war.

Some are dead. Some are wounded . But some are still standing on their feet and they are ready to fight.

After all, we are encouraged in the Lord and this are positive smoke signals from the country of Montenegro, and in the time that is ahead of us, you will be hearing from us, what the Lord is doing here. Please continue to pray for us. We regularly lift your names to the Lord and we bless you, your families and the ministry.

Much love from me and my family.

Yours in Him,

Jovica Bacvanski

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Yeoville Launch Photos!

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We had such a great time at the launch of Cornerstone Church Yeoville! We’ll post a write-up soon. In the meantime, check out the photos!

Post by Cornerstone Church.

Malawi Feedback

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by Glenn van Rooyen

Our time in Malawi was simply fantastic. We’re really seeing some amazing fruit from all the tough work that Hennie and Anton Keyter have put into the area. Some of the church leaders have been working with Hennie (and now Anton) for as much as 40 years! The strength of relationships and the outworking of real brotherly love was simply fantastic.

We travelled 5,800km to bring New Testament Bibles to the Malawians. None of the vehicles gave us any mechanical problems, which was fantastic. But perhaps even more miraculously, we only got one speeding fine! That’s a long way to go without looking to put the foot down at least a little bit…

Many of the leaders were encouraged and, subsequently, the people they’re lading. Some of these guys have planted more than 40 churches. Hennie hasn’t personally been to Malawi in ten years but Jesus has been building His Church in such a powerful way.

Here’s the route we took – we first went up to Malawi and then came back down through Mozambique.

MalawiMap

We met with leaders and distributed Bibles at:

1)      Blantyre
2)      Mulange
3)      Chikwawa
4)      Ntcheu

It was also great partnering across churches on this trip – we were joined by Newday Church, the Rustenburg church, and people from South Side and Bedfordview. We had the great privilege of encouraging over two hundred leaders representing more than four hundred churches.

So when are we going again? The Malawi Equip is happening on 17 October. Contact the office at 011-616-4073 or email info@www.cornerstonechurch.co.za if you’re keen on coming along.

Post by Cornerstone Church.

Montenegro: A Video

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Recently, Lance de Ruig and Keir Tayler visited Montenegro on an apostolic trip. Montenegro is one of the most unchurched cities in the world. He asked the leaders there some questions that will challenge you.

Read Lance’s blog about the trip as well.

Montenegro and Johannesburg: What are we doing?

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by Lance de Ruig

Keir Tayler and I have just come back from the country of Montenegro, after having met (literally) all the Christian leaders in that whole country. There were three. One guy has been there for 25 years and has only 30 people in his church. Another guy has been there for 15 years and only has seven people in his church. He has just suffered a church split where his deacon took a whole lot of people with him, but they have nowhere to meet so they don’t even fellowship together.

That’s not easy. But caring means nothing if God doesn’t change our hearts.

Here’s how this motivates me. Montenegro might be on the other side of the world but I ask myself this question: What is stopping South Africa from being like that in a hundred years time? What is stopping our city from becoming like that?

I’ll tell you what’s stopping that from happening here: you and I telling others about Jesus.

You might never get a chance in your life to go to Montenegro or send money for the people there or do anything along those lines, but what you can do is care for your city, the people around you, and ask God to work on your heart. You can make sure that your children and your grand-children and your grand-children’s children grow up in a country where Jesus is loved and praised.

We can ask God to give us a heart for the lost simply because it’s something we say, or we can really let the reality of that sink in and mean it. Here’s a reality: 99 percent of Montenegro’s population right now is going to spend an eternity without Jesus. There are only three men giving up their lives to try and stop that from happening. So the question is, what are we doing?

Let’s open our heart to God and ask him to give us a heart for the people in our city, for the people in Montenegro and Eastern Europe, and the people of this world. This is about this world – this is about the fact that so many people are without God and hope. What are we doing? There are millions of people in Johannesburg right now without God and hope. We have a mission before us.

My Heart // My Love – What’s it about?

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What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

What was it that made you believe it?

How should we “live” evangelism?

“Seeking and saving the lost.” Christ’s life can be summarised in that phrase. But if we’re honest, seeking and saving the lost is not our culture. Our culture is more about maintenance, self-centredness, and “I”.

The reality is this: if we don’t care for the lost and the fact that people are not being born again, we’ve got sick hearts. That’s why we want to focus on the heart with the theme My Heart // My Love.

When our heart is moved with the Gospel our heart has a love for our city and the nations of the world. Inward to outward. We’re trusting God to change hearts. We’re desperate to see revived hearts which care for the lost – hearts which know, deeply, the benefits of the Gospel; hearts that urge us to pray for others and trust for real opportunities where we can share this wonderful liberating Gospel. This sharing is a lifestyle.

If the Gospel doesn’t ignite our hearts we aren’t going to ignite other hearts with the Gospel! If the Gospel isn’t what we’re about, can we really expect ourselves to make it our life? Can we expect others to believe it? If we don’t feed on Jesus and nourish ourselves in Him (see John 6 for context) how can we have a passionate conviction to invite others to do the same?

#LoveJoburg

Our city and our world needs the Gospel of Jesus. And God has commissioned us to bring this Gospel to a world without hope. As God works on our hearts in this respect, let’s talk about it!

So send us:

  • Testimonies of God working on your heart. Testimonies can also just be one-liners, not long blogs posts. (Leaders, encourage your guys to send us these!)
  • Tweet and Facebook about what God is doing, about your love for the people of this city, etc. using the hashtag #LoveJoburg.
  • Instagram photos of the city to #LoveJoburg.
  • Send us stories of encounters with God, evangelism, prophecy, people you’ve met in the city, how God is working on your heart, etc.!
  • Send us your photos of the city, of the people in the city.
  • Leaders, tell us what’s going on in your group – prophecy, testimonies, what God is saying to you collectively, etc.

Everything will go up at our My Heart // My Love page.

Email your stuff to ryan@www.cornerstonechurch.co.za.

Officially we’ll kick off the My Heart // My Love preaching series on 27 July (in the third term) and this will also include a Love Joburg evangelism focus on Wednesday nights at Bedfordview. But let’s not wait until then! Let’s have God work on our hearts now!

Ukwakha Isizwe Newsletter – May 2014

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This is the first Newsletter for Ukwakha Isizwe Foundation (UIF) for 2014. Ukwakha Isizwe is our social upliftment partner.

Every charity is always in need of support and Ukwakha Isizwe is no different. For every amount over R100.00 Ukwakha Isizwe makes out an 18A certificate which allows the donor to subtract that value from their taxable earnings. In the case of a business, it also counts towards your BEE score on Social Development, as UIF has a certificate to prove that more than 75% of the recipients are black people.

Ukwakha Isizwe is proud of the fact that the funds are used for the intended recipient, not for administration costs. It has grown wonderfully over the last four years but the need in our beautiful country continues to overwhelm them. With your support it is able to impact many little lives and so make our world a better place.

For details on how to donate, go to this page.

It’s Elections: How should we respond?

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We’re living in what feels like a very precarious time in our country – it’s probably the first time since 1994 that many South Africans feel as fearful as they do today. Tomorrow we go to the polls and vote for who we think might be the best political party to govern our country for the next five years. How do we, as Christians, respond to all of the politics we see around us? How do we know who to vote for? How can we vote in good conscience?

(By the way, you can get a full list of the parties and candidates for tomorrow’s election here.)

Firstly, you should vote. Democracy isn’t necessary a Biblical and Christian ideal any more than any other political and economical system. Nevertheless, it’s good to vote.

Jeremiah 29:7 states: “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” (ESV)

This passage has Jeremiah the prophet speaking the words of God to the Jews living in exile in Babylon. They hated living in a foreign land with a foreign leader, but the word of God to them was clear: trust for its welfare. We are to obey the laws of the land, pay our taxes, pray for our leaders, and finally, work hard for the success of our city and country. We all stand to suffer if South Africa suffers, but on the same argument, if South Africa is a success, we all benefit.

For most of us, voting is the easiest way to get involved and seek the welfare of our city.

Secondly, remember that God has not given us a spirit of fear. We live in God’s Kingdom and He will be our help in time of trouble. We don’t know what tomorrow holds but we do know that Psalm 22:28 says: “For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.” (ESV)

God is in control of everything. When we look at our country we can live in security knowing that ultimately God is in control. Sometimes it’s not obvious that God is in control, but our faith needs to be in the fact that God rules over every nation and He has a greater plan for us as individuals and as a society.

Daniel 2:20 states: “Daniel answered and said: ‘Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings…’” (ESV).

Thirdly, pray. One of the clear guidelines God gives us in His word is that we are to pray for our leaders. We see written in 1 Timothy 2:1-2: “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” (ESV).

Whether we agree with the political affiliation or standpoint of a leader or not, we are called to pray for them. Trust God to guide and direct them to make decisions in the best interest of the country and its citizens. So regardless of who wins this election, we are to still pray for them!

And fourthly, we are encouraged to submit to them. Romans 13:1 states: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” (ESV)

In this scripture we are given the directive to be subject to (or submit) to the governing authority placed over us. Furthermore, 1 Peter 2:17 says: “Honour everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the emperor.” (ESV). The emperor is a representation of any government and it is implying that we should not only submit to our leaders but honour them.

So, who to vote for?

All the above helps us to respond no matter what happens, but who do we actually vote for? This is entirely up to you, of course. Grab the full list of the parties and candidates here. You will have to do your research and make up your own mind about what you think of each party’s leaders. Pray over this list. Pray for each leader. Pray for our country.

Bedfordview is a voting station. If you want to help with hosting some of the voters tomorrow (voters will be getting a coffee) then you’re welcome to come in any time tomorrow.