Bible Book Introductions

Audio Introductions to Books of the Bible

See updated site at: http://equipdisciples.org/ MegaVoice

Overview
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Instructions
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Bible Book Introductions
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To pick up a MegaVoice for the first time, it is the proverbial "black box", with no indication of the content or significance of what it holds. For this reason, recorded introductions to the content are very useful. These introductions can:

Announce that a Bible book section contains Scripture, God's Word to us.
Give the historical context or other important background information for books of the Bible.
Serve as an audio "Table of Contents." This is especially important since the audio recording is not nearly so easy to thumb through as a printed New Testament or Bible.
Be clearly distinguished from the text in style, speaker, and content, making it clear that the intro is only a tool pointing to the Scripture as the authority.
Be succinct so as not to distract from Scripture.
Make it clear sections with other content are not Scripture.

The following are draft introductions for some books of the Bible and other types of content:

Genesis • Exodus (1-20) • Matthew • Mark • Luke • John • Acts
Jesus film audio • Songs • Sermons/Testimonies

Symbols used:

{ / } Curly-brackets give a quick reference to some alternative terms, separated by a slash, that can be used.
{ } Curly-brackets are also used without alternatives for technical terms or names which require language-specific solutions.
{ } Square brackets indicate notes that are not intended to be included in the recorded audio.

Genesis

You are about to hear the book of Genesis.
Genesis is the first book of the {Bible / Scripture / God's Word to us}.
Genesis is a book of beginnings. It tells how God created {the sun, moon, and stars,} the world {and everything in it}. From the very beginning, people started sinning against God. So God judged them for their sins. Yet he also made {covenants} with individuals so he could have a relationship with many people. God chose Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendents to be messengers of his love to all peoples.
Genesis is 1 of the 5 books that Moses wrote. These 5 books are called "The Law of Moses," "The Books of Moses," or "The Book of the Law." Together they tell the God's story from the creation of the world up to the time of Moses, and also give {instructions / rules / laws} about how the Israelites were supposed to live.
These are the stories found in Genesis:
1. chs 1-2 tell how God created the world
2. ch 3 tells how the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, sinned against God
3. ch 4 is about Adam's sons, Cain, Abel, and Seth
4. chs 6-9 is the story of Noah, the great flood, and his sons
5. ch 11 is the Tower of Babel
6. in ch 12, God calls Abram (also called Abraham) to bless him, and to bless all peoples through him
7. in ch 16, Ishmael is born
8. ch 18 is the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
9. ch 21 Isaac is born when Abraham and Sarah in their old age
10. in ch 22, Abraham shows his faith when he is called to offer Isaac to God
11. in ch 24, Rebekah is found as a wife for Isaac
12. in ch 25, Rebekah gives birth to twins: Jacob and Esau
13. in ch 27, Jacob steals Esau's blessing from his father
14. in ch 29, Jacob marries Rachel and Leah
15. in ch 32, Jacob wrestles with God and gets the name Israel
16. in ch 33, Jacob is re-united with his brother Esau
17. in ch 35, God renews covenant with Jacob
18. in ch 37, Joseph, one of Jacob's sons, is sold into slavery by his brothers
19. in ch 41, Joseph interprets the {Pharaoh's / King's} dream
20. in chs 42-45 Joseph is reunited with his brothers
21. in chs 48-49 Jacob blesses his sons before he dies in Egypt

Exodus (1-20)

You are about to hear the book of Exodus.
Exodus is the second book of the {Bible / Scripture / God's Word to us}.
Exodus starts where Genesis left off. It is about the descendents of Jacob, called the Israelites. They were born in Egypt and had become slaves there. Then God raised up Moses to lead them out of slavery in Egypt. God then established his covenant with the Israelites, giving them the {Ten Commandments}.
Exodus is the second of the 5 books that Moses wrote. These 5 books are called "The Law of Moses," "The Books of Moses," or "The Book of the Law." These books tell how God prepared the Israelites to be messengers of his love to all the peoples of the the world, and also gave {instructions / rules / laws} about how they should live.
These are the stories found in Exodus:
1. in chs 1-2, Moses is born of slave parents in Egypt, grows up as a prince, then flees to the {desert / wilderness}
2. in chs 3-4, God calls Moses to go back to Egypt in order to lead the Israelites out
3. in chs 5-12, Moses confronts {Pharaoh / the King} and tells him that God said to let the Israelites (God's people) leave
4. in ch 7 the plagues begin
5. chs 11-12 is the 10th plague, the death of the first-born, but also the Passover, because death passed-by the Israelites
6. in ch 12, the Israelites depart from Egypt
7. in ch 14, they crossed the Red Sea
8. ch 15 is a song praising God for his deliverance
9. in chs 16-17, God gives manna to eat, water, and victory over enemies
10. in ch 18, Moses learns to {delegate leadership / let other leaders help lead}
11. in chs 19-20, God gives Moses the Ten Commandments

Matthew

You are about to hear the {Gospel / Good News} {according to} Matthew.
This book of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament, which is the second part of the {Bible / Scripture / God's Word to us}.
The book of Matthew is 1 of the 4 Gospels, each of which tell us the story of Jesus' life and ministry.
Matthew was a {Jew / Israelite}, and was a tax-collector for the Roman government. He became one of Jesus' 12 Apostles, his closest {disciples / followers}. He also has a second name, Levi, but calls himself "Matthew" when he tells how Jesus called him away from his {tax-booth / tax-collecting} to come be his {disciple / follower}.
This book of Matthew was probably first used by {Jewish / Israelite} believers in churches in Judea that Matthew helped to lead.
The book of Matthew shows that Jesus was the {Messiah / Savior} that the {Jews / Israelites} had been promised in the Old Testament, {the Scripture / the part of the Bible / God's Word} that had been {given / spoken} to them before Jesus was born. Matthew shows that God wants to reign among all peoples of the earth, and this will happen as his followers teach others to follow Jesus too.
The story of Jesus told by Matthew is as follows:
1. chs 1-2 are about Jesus' birth and early childhood
2. ch 3-4 is his baptism and temptation
3. ch 4-11 tells how Jesus began to {preach / tell people} that {the Kingdom of God is near / God is ready to reign in their lives}
4. chs 5-7 is called the {Sermon on the Mount}
5. chs 8-9 tell of Jesus power of sickness, demons, sin, and death
6. in ch 11, he judges unrepentant people, but shows compassion on the humble
7. in ch 12, people begin to reject and oppose Jesus and his teachings
8. ch 13 {is the Sermon by the Seashore in which} Jesus begins teaching in parables--stories that teach {principles / truth} about the {Kingdom of God / God's reign in people's lives}
9. in chs 16-17, Peter declares to Jesus, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God," and Jesus starts foretelling of his death
10. in chs 18-20, Jesus continues his teachings
11. in chs 21-23, Jesus arrives in Jerusalem
12. in chs 24-25, Jesus teaches of the future {Kingdom / Reign of God}
13. in chs 26-27, Jesus is arrested, tried, and killed
14. in ch 28, rises from the dead, and commissions his apostles to {disciple / teach others to follower Jesus} among all the peoples of the world

Mark

You are about to hear the {Gospel / Good News} {according to} Mark.
This book of Mark is part of the New Testament, which is the second part of the {Bible / Scripture / God's Word to us}.
The book of Mark is 1 of the 4 Gospels, each of which tell us the story of Jesus' life and ministry.
Mark was a {young man / teenager} during the time of Jesus' ministry. He was probably in the house at the time of Jesus' {Last Supper}, and he refers to himself as "a certain young man" [14.51-52] who was present in the Garden of Gethsemane at the time of Jesus' arrest. He became a helper for {the Apostle} Paul, then Barnabas, and also for {the Apostle} Peter.
The book of Mark was probably first used among churches that Peter helped start and lead, such as in Caesarea and Rome.
The book of Mark is especially for {Gentile / non-Jewish / non-Israelite} readers. It shows the actions of Jesus as he came to serve people and to die for them.
The story of Jesus told by Luke is as follows:
1. chs 1-10 are about Jesus' 3-years of ministry, during which he , astonished people by his teaching, cast out many demons, healed many people, and showed his power over nature, sin and death
2. in chs 8-10, Jesus starts talking about his impending death, and ends by saying, "Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many." [10.45]
3. chs 11-16 are about Jesus' final week in Jerusalem
4. in chs 11-13, Jesus confronts the unbelief of the {Jews / Israelites}
5. in ch 14, Jesus eats the {Last Supper} with his disciples, and is arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane
6. in ch 15, Jesus is {crucified / killed}
7. in ch 16, the tomb where Jesus was buried is found empty, for Jesus has risen from the dead

Luke

You are about to hear the {Gospel / Good News} {according to} Luke.
This book of Luke is part of the New Testament, which is the second part of the {Bible / Scripture / God's Word to us}.
The book of Luke is 1 of the 4 Gospels, each of which tell us the story of Jesus' life and ministry.
Luke was a {Gentile / non-Jew / non-Israelite}, and was a {doctor / physician}. He took detailed notes of {the history / the true story} of Jesus and wrote them down carefully. He was a believer {in the early church / among the early Christians} and traveled widely with {the Apostle} Paul. Luke helped Paul {preach the Gospel / tell people the Good News about Jesus} and start new churches.
Luke includes many {parables which are} stories Jesus told that teach us some {principles / truth} about the {Kingdom of God / God's reign in people's lives}.
Luke also wrote the book of Acts in the New Testament, which is the story of the early church{es}.
The book of Luke shows us that Jesus came to minister to all peoples and all individuals. He "came to seek and to save the lost." [19.10]
Luke tells the story of Jesus as follows:
1. the story of Jesus' birth and childhood is in chs 1-2
2. the story of Jesus' early ministry is in chs 3-9
3. Jesus starts his journey to Jerusalem in ch 9 and arrives there in ch 20; he knows he is going there to die
4. the {Parable of the Good Samaritan} is found in ch 10
5. the {Parable of the {Prodigal / Lost} Son} is found in ch 15
6. the story of Jesus' final week in Jerusalem and of his death is told in chs 20-23
7. the Good News of Jesus' resurrection from the dead is told in ch 24

John

You are about to hear the {Gospel / Good News} {according to} John.
This book of John is part of the New Testament, which is the second part of the {Bible / Scripture / God's Word to us}.
The book of John is 1 of the 4 Gospels, each of which tell us the story of Jesus' life and ministry.
John was a {Jew / Israelite}, and was a fisherman. He became one of Jesus' 12 Apostles, his closest {disciples / followers}, along with his older brother James. John refers to himself as "the disciple Jesus loved" [19.26, 20.2, 21.7,20] several times in the book.
This book of John was first used by churches in {Asia / Asia Minor / the land that is modern-day Turkey} that John helped to lead.
Several other New Testament books were also written by John. These are the letters 1, 2, and 3 John, and the book of Revelation.
The book of John clearly portrays how God wants us to place our faith in Jesus.
The story of Jesus told by John is as follows:
1. John tells how God sent Jesus to live among us in ch 1
2. also in ch 1, he tells of Jesus' baptism
3. Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again in ch 3
4. Jesus talked to a Samaritan woman at the well in ch 4
5. Jesus said he is the bread of life in ch 6
6. he said that the truth can make you free in ch 8
7. he said he is the Good Shepherd in ch 10
8. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead in ch 11
9. he said that he will draw all peoples to himself in ch 12
10. Jesus washed his disciples' feet in ch 13
11. Jesus said he is the way, the truth, and the life in ch 14
12. Jesus prayed for his followers in ch 17 on the night before he was killed; he was praying for both his current and his future followers
13. the story of Jesus' arrest, trials, and crucifixion is found in chs 18-20
14. the story of the empty tomb and the resurrection of Jesus from the dead comes in chs 20-21

Acts

Jesus film audio

You are about to hear the {soundtrack / audio / story} from a {movie / drama} about the life of Jesus. This presentation is not itself {Scripture / the Bible / God's Word}, but it is a very accurate summary of the story of Jesus drawn from the {Gospel / Good News} {according to} Luke. You will hear the sounds of everyday life and common people as the actors reenact the story of the life of Jesus.

Songs

In this section you will hear songs sung by {Christians / followers of the Jesus-way}. Beginning with the Songs of Moses and the Psalms of King David, {Believers / God's people} have always used music and song as an important way to praise God and glorify his name. Most of the following songs have an introduction to tell you more about each song.

Sermons / Testimonies

The following are {sermons / testimonies} of {Christians / followers of the Jesus-way}. These individuals are {sharing / speaking} a message from their heart based on their personal relationship with God.