Thematic Bible
Thematic Bible
Christian ministers » Charge delivered to
After Moses, the servant of the LORD, had died, the LORD spoke to Nun's son Joshua, announcing to him, "My servant Moses is dead. Now get ready to cross the Jordan River you and all the people to the land that I'm giving the Israelis. I'm giving you every place where the sole of your foot falls, just as I promised Moses. read more.
Your territorial border will extend from the wilderness to the Lebanon Mountains, to the river that great River Euphrates all the land of the Hittites as far as the Mediterranean Sea where the sun sets. No one will be victorious against you for the rest of your life. I'll be with you just like I was with Moses I'll neither fail you nor abandon you. "Be strong and courageous, because you'll be leading this people to inherit the land that I promised to give their ancestors. Only be strong and very courageous to ensure that you obey all the instructions that my servant Moses gave you turn neither to the right nor to the left from it so that you may succeed wherever you go. This set of instructions is not to cease being a part of your conversations. Meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to carry out everything that's written in it, for then you'll prosper and succeed. I've commanded you, haven't I? Be strong and courageous. Don't be fearful or discouraged, because the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
Your territorial border will extend from the wilderness to the Lebanon Mountains, to the river that great River Euphrates all the land of the Hittites as far as the Mediterranean Sea where the sun sets. No one will be victorious against you for the rest of your life. I'll be with you just like I was with Moses I'll neither fail you nor abandon you. "Be strong and courageous, because you'll be leading this people to inherit the land that I promised to give their ancestors. Only be strong and very courageous to ensure that you obey all the instructions that my servant Moses gave you turn neither to the right nor to the left from it so that you may succeed wherever you go. This set of instructions is not to cease being a part of your conversations. Meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to carry out everything that's written in it, for then you'll prosper and succeed. I've commanded you, haven't I? Be strong and courageous. Don't be fearful or discouraged, because the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
Later, the LORD told Aaron, "You, your sons, and your father's tribe with you are to bear the iniquity of the sanctuary. Also, you and your sons with you are to bear the iniquity of your priesthood. Moreover, bring your brothers from your father's tribe of Levi with you, so they may join you and minister to you while you and your sons with you stand in the presence of the Tent of Testimony. They are to take care of your concerns and all the responsibilities involved with the tent. But they're not to approach the holy vessels or the altar. That way, neither you nor they will die. read more.
They are to join you to maintain services related to the Tent of Meeting, for all the responsibilities involved with the tent. But no unauthorized person is to approach you. Take care of the sanctuary and the services of the altar so that there won't be any more wrath on the Israelis. Notice that I've taken your brothers, the descendants of Levi, from among the Israelis, giving them to you as a gift from the LORD to perform the service of the Tent of Meeting. Now you and your sons with you are to maintain your priestly duties and all matters that concern the altar and what is housed within the veil. You are to perform these services. I'm giving you the priesthood as a gift of service, but any unauthorized person who approaches is to be put to death."
They are to join you to maintain services related to the Tent of Meeting, for all the responsibilities involved with the tent. But no unauthorized person is to approach you. Take care of the sanctuary and the services of the altar so that there won't be any more wrath on the Israelis. Notice that I've taken your brothers, the descendants of Levi, from among the Israelis, giving them to you as a gift from the LORD to perform the service of the Tent of Meeting. Now you and your sons with you are to maintain your priestly duties and all matters that concern the altar and what is housed within the veil. You are to perform these services. I'm giving you the priesthood as a gift of service, but any unauthorized person who approaches is to be put to death."
"Select Nun's son Joshua. The Spirit is in that man," the LORD answered Moses. "You are to lay your hand on him and make him stand in front of Eleazar the priest and the entire community. Then you are to set him in charge right before their eyes, turning over your authority to him so that the entire community of Israel knows to obey him. read more.
You are to make him stand in the presence of Eleazar the priest, who is to inquire on his behalf using the Urim in the presence of the LORD regarding a decision of judgment, because by his command he and all the Israelis with him will go out or come in." So Moses did what the LORD had commanded him. He took Joshua, made him stand in the presence of Eleazar the priest and the entire community, laid his hands on him, and charged him, just as the LORD had commanded, using Moses' authority.
You are to make him stand in the presence of Eleazar the priest, who is to inquire on his behalf using the Urim in the presence of the LORD regarding a decision of judgment, because by his command he and all the Israelis with him will go out or come in." So Moses did what the LORD had commanded him. He took Joshua, made him stand in the presence of Eleazar the priest and the entire community, laid his hands on him, and charged him, just as the LORD had commanded, using Moses' authority.
Then Moses called on Joshua and told him in the presence of everyone in Israel, "Be strong and courageous, because you'll bring this people to the land that the LORD your God had promised to give your ancestors. You will be the one who causes them to possess it. Indeed, the LORD is the one who will keep on walking in front of you. He'll be with you and won't leave you or abandon you, so never be afraid and never be dismayed."
Then the LORD told Moses: "Look! Because your time to die is approaching, call Joshua, present yourselves at the Tent of Meeting, and then I will commission him." Moses and Joshua complied and presented themselves at the Tent of Meeting. So the LORD appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud that stood above the entrance. Then the LORD told Moses, "Look! You are about to join your ancestors. Afterwards, this people will rebel and commit prostitution with the foreign gods of the land that they are about to enter to possess. They will abandon me and break my covenant that I made with them. read more.
When that happens, my anger will burn against them, because they will have abandoned me. I'll hide my face from them, they will be consumed, and many evils and distresses will find them. When this happens, they will say, "These troubles have happened to us because God isn't among us.' I'll surely hide my face in that day on account of the evil that they will have done for they turned to other gods." "Now write this song and teach it to the Israelis. Put this song in their very mouths, so that it will be a witness for me against the Israelis, because after I've brought them to the land flowing with milk and honey that I promised to their ancestors by an oath, they'll eat, grow fat, and then they'll turn to other gods and serve them, while despising me and breaking my covenant. Then, when many evils and troubles will have come upon them, this song will serve as a witness against them, since their descendants won't fail to sing it. I know the plan that they are devising even before I bring them into the land that I promised them by an oath." So Moses wrote the song that very day and taught it to the Israelis. Then the LORD charged Nun's son Joshua, "Be strong and courageous, because you'll bring the Israelis to the land that I promised to them by an oath. I'll be with you."
When that happens, my anger will burn against them, because they will have abandoned me. I'll hide my face from them, they will be consumed, and many evils and distresses will find them. When this happens, they will say, "These troubles have happened to us because God isn't among us.' I'll surely hide my face in that day on account of the evil that they will have done for they turned to other gods." "Now write this song and teach it to the Israelis. Put this song in their very mouths, so that it will be a witness for me against the Israelis, because after I've brought them to the land flowing with milk and honey that I promised to their ancestors by an oath, they'll eat, grow fat, and then they'll turn to other gods and serve them, while despising me and breaking my covenant. Then, when many evils and troubles will have come upon them, this song will serve as a witness against them, since their descendants won't fail to sing it. I know the plan that they are devising even before I bring them into the land that I promised them by an oath." So Moses wrote the song that very day and taught it to the Israelis. Then the LORD charged Nun's son Joshua, "Be strong and courageous, because you'll bring the Israelis to the land that I promised to them by an oath. I'll be with you."
Then he told me, "Son of Man, go to the house of Israel and tell them what I have to say to them,
These were the Twelve whom Jesus sent out after he had given them these instructions: "Don't turn on to the road that leads to the unbelievers, and don't enter Samaritan towns. Instead, go to the lost sheep of the nation of Israel. As you go, make this announcement: "The kingdom from heaven is near!' read more.
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. You have received without payment, so give without payment. Don't take any gold, silver, or copper in your moneybags, or a traveling bag for the trip, or an extra shirt, or sandals, or a walking stick, because a worker deserves his food. "Whatever town or village you enter, find out who is receptive in it and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet its occupants. If the household is receptive, let your blessing of peace come on it. But if it isn't receptive, let your blessing of peace return to you. If no one welcomes you or listens to your words, as you leave that house or town, shake its dust off your feet. I tell all of you with certainty, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town!" "Pay attention, now! I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be as cunning as serpents and as innocent as doves. Watch out for people who will hand you over to the local councils and whip you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings because of me, to testify to them and to unbelievers. When they hand you over, don't worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say, because in that hour what you are to say will be given to you. It won't be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. "Brother will hand brother over for execution, and a father his child. Children will rebel against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the person who endures to the end will be saved. So when they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, because I tell all of you with certainty that you will not have gone through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. "A disciple is not above his teacher, and a slave is not above his master. It is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher and a slave to be like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they do the same to those of his household!" "So never be afraid of them, because there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing secret that will not be made known. What I tell you in darkness you must speak in the daylight, and what is whispered in your ear you must shout from the housetops. Stop being afraid of those who kill the body but can't kill the soul. Instead, be afraid of the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell. "Two sparrows are sold for a penny, aren't they? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's permission. Indeed, even the hairs on your head have all been counted! So stop being afraid. You are worth more than a bunch of sparrows." "Therefore, everyone who acknowledges me before people I, too, will acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever denies me before people I, too, will deny before my Father in heaven." "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword! I came to turn "a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A person's enemies will include members of his own family.' "The one who loves his father or mother more than me isn't worthy of me, and the one who loves a son or daughter more than me isn't worthy of me. The one who doesn't take up his cross and follow me isn't worthy of me. The one who finds his life will lose it, and the one who loses his life because of me will find it." "The one who receives you receives me, and the one who receives me receives the one who sent me. The one who receives a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward. I tell all of you with certainty, whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple will never lose his reward."
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. You have received without payment, so give without payment. Don't take any gold, silver, or copper in your moneybags, or a traveling bag for the trip, or an extra shirt, or sandals, or a walking stick, because a worker deserves his food. "Whatever town or village you enter, find out who is receptive in it and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet its occupants. If the household is receptive, let your blessing of peace come on it. But if it isn't receptive, let your blessing of peace return to you. If no one welcomes you or listens to your words, as you leave that house or town, shake its dust off your feet. I tell all of you with certainty, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town!" "Pay attention, now! I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be as cunning as serpents and as innocent as doves. Watch out for people who will hand you over to the local councils and whip you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings because of me, to testify to them and to unbelievers. When they hand you over, don't worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say, because in that hour what you are to say will be given to you. It won't be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. "Brother will hand brother over for execution, and a father his child. Children will rebel against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the person who endures to the end will be saved. So when they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, because I tell all of you with certainty that you will not have gone through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. "A disciple is not above his teacher, and a slave is not above his master. It is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher and a slave to be like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they do the same to those of his household!" "So never be afraid of them, because there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing secret that will not be made known. What I tell you in darkness you must speak in the daylight, and what is whispered in your ear you must shout from the housetops. Stop being afraid of those who kill the body but can't kill the soul. Instead, be afraid of the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell. "Two sparrows are sold for a penny, aren't they? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's permission. Indeed, even the hairs on your head have all been counted! So stop being afraid. You are worth more than a bunch of sparrows." "Therefore, everyone who acknowledges me before people I, too, will acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever denies me before people I, too, will deny before my Father in heaven." "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword! I came to turn "a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A person's enemies will include members of his own family.' "The one who loves his father or mother more than me isn't worthy of me, and the one who loves a son or daughter more than me isn't worthy of me. The one who doesn't take up his cross and follow me isn't worthy of me. The one who finds his life will lose it, and the one who loses his life because of me will find it." "The one who receives you receives me, and the one who receives me receives the one who sent me. The one who receives a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward. I tell all of you with certainty, whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple will never lose his reward."
If any place will not welcome you and the people refuse to listen to you, when you leave, shake its dust off your feet as a testimony against them."
After this, the Lord appointed 70 other disciples and was about to send them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place that he intended to go. So he instructed them, "The harvest is vast, but the workers are few. So ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers out into his harvest. Get going! See, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. read more.
Don't carry a wallet, a traveling bag, or sandals, and don't greet anyone on the way. "Whatever house you go into, first say, "May there be peace in this house.' If a peaceful person lives there, your greeting of peace will remain with him. But if that's not the case, your greeting will come back to you. Stay with the same family, eating and drinking whatever they provide, because the worker deserves his pay. Don't move from house to house. "Whenever you go into a town and the people welcome you, eat whatever they serve you, heal the sick that are there, and tell them, "The kingdom of God is near you!' But whenever you go into a town and people don't welcome you, go out into its streets and say, "We're wiping off your town's dust that clings to our feet in protest against you! But realize this: the kingdom of God is near!' I tell you, on the last day it will be easier for Sodom than for that town!" "How terrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How terrible it will be for you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that happened in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. It will be easier for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you! And you, Capernaum! You won't be lifted up to heaven, will you? You'll go down to Hell! The person who listens to you listens to me, and the person who rejects you rejects me. The person who rejects me rejects the one who sent me."
Don't carry a wallet, a traveling bag, or sandals, and don't greet anyone on the way. "Whatever house you go into, first say, "May there be peace in this house.' If a peaceful person lives there, your greeting of peace will remain with him. But if that's not the case, your greeting will come back to you. Stay with the same family, eating and drinking whatever they provide, because the worker deserves his pay. Don't move from house to house. "Whenever you go into a town and the people welcome you, eat whatever they serve you, heal the sick that are there, and tell them, "The kingdom of God is near you!' But whenever you go into a town and people don't welcome you, go out into its streets and say, "We're wiping off your town's dust that clings to our feet in protest against you! But realize this: the kingdom of God is near!' I tell you, on the last day it will be easier for Sodom than for that town!" "How terrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How terrible it will be for you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that happened in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. It will be easier for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you! And you, Capernaum! You won't be lifted up to heaven, will you? You'll go down to Hell! The person who listens to you listens to me, and the person who rejects you rejects me. The person who rejects me rejects the one who sent me."
Timothy, my child, I am instructing you in keeping with the prophecies made earlier about you, so that by following them you may continue to fight the good fight with faith and a good conscience. By ignoring their consciences, some people have destroyed their faith like a wrecked ship. These include Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I handed over to Satan so that they may learn not to blaspheme.
Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him as if he were your father. Treat younger men like brothers, older women like mothers, and younger women like sisters, with absolute purity. Honor widows who have no other family members to care for them. read more.
But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to respect their own family by repaying their parents, for this is pleasing in God's sight. A woman who has no other family members to care for her and who is left all alone has placed her hope in God and devotes herself to petitions and prayers night and day. But the self-indulgent widow is just as good as dead. Continue to give these instructions, so that they may be blameless. If anyone does not take care of his own relatives, especially his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. A widow may be put on the widows' list if she is at least sixty years old and has been the wife of one husband. She must be well known for her good actions as a woman who has raised children, welcomed strangers, washed the saints' feet, helped the suffering, and devoted herself to doing good in every way. But do not include younger widows on your list. For whenever their natural desires cause them to lose their devotion to the Messiah, they want to remarry. They receive condemnation because they have set aside their prior commitment to the Messiah. At the same time, they also learn how to be lazy while going from house to house. Not only this, but they even become gossips and keep busy by interfering in other people's lives, saying things they should not say. Therefore, I want younger widows to remarry, have children, manage their homes, and not give the enemy any chance to ridicule them. For some widows have already turned away to follow Satan. If any woman is a believer and has relatives who are widows, she should help them. The church should not be burdened, so it can help those widows who have no other family members to care for them. Elders who handle their duties well should be considered worthy of double compensation, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "You must not muzzle an ox while it is treading out grain," and, "A worker deserves his pay." Do not accept an accusation against an elder unless it is supported "by two or three witnesses." As for those who keep on sinning, rebuke them in front of everyone so that the rest will also be afraid. With God as my witness, as well as the Messiah Jesus and the chosen angels, I solemnly call on you to carry out these instructions without prejudice, doing nothing on the basis of partiality. Do not ordain anyone hastily. Do not participate in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.
But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to respect their own family by repaying their parents, for this is pleasing in God's sight. A woman who has no other family members to care for her and who is left all alone has placed her hope in God and devotes herself to petitions and prayers night and day. But the self-indulgent widow is just as good as dead. Continue to give these instructions, so that they may be blameless. If anyone does not take care of his own relatives, especially his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. A widow may be put on the widows' list if she is at least sixty years old and has been the wife of one husband. She must be well known for her good actions as a woman who has raised children, welcomed strangers, washed the saints' feet, helped the suffering, and devoted herself to doing good in every way. But do not include younger widows on your list. For whenever their natural desires cause them to lose their devotion to the Messiah, they want to remarry. They receive condemnation because they have set aside their prior commitment to the Messiah. At the same time, they also learn how to be lazy while going from house to house. Not only this, but they even become gossips and keep busy by interfering in other people's lives, saying things they should not say. Therefore, I want younger widows to remarry, have children, manage their homes, and not give the enemy any chance to ridicule them. For some widows have already turned away to follow Satan. If any woman is a believer and has relatives who are widows, she should help them. The church should not be burdened, so it can help those widows who have no other family members to care for them. Elders who handle their duties well should be considered worthy of double compensation, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "You must not muzzle an ox while it is treading out grain," and, "A worker deserves his pay." Do not accept an accusation against an elder unless it is supported "by two or three witnesses." As for those who keep on sinning, rebuke them in front of everyone so that the rest will also be afraid. With God as my witness, as well as the Messiah Jesus and the chosen angels, I solemnly call on you to carry out these instructions without prejudice, doing nothing on the basis of partiality. Do not ordain anyone hastily. Do not participate in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.
For this reason, I am reminding you to fan into flames the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity but one of power, love, and self-discipline. Therefore, never be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me, his prisoner. Instead, by God's power, join me in suffering for the sake of the gospel. read more.
He saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our own accomplishments, but according to his own purpose and the grace that was given to us in the Messiah Jesus before time began. Now, however, that grace has been revealed through the coming of our Savior the Messiah Jesus, who has destroyed death and through the gospel has brought life and release from death into full view. For the sake of this gospel I was appointed to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the gentiles. That is why I suffer as I do. However, I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I'm convinced that he is able to protect what he has entrusted to me until the day that he comes. Hold on to the pattern of healthy teachings that you have heard from me, along with the faith and love that are in the Messiah Jesus.
He saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our own accomplishments, but according to his own purpose and the grace that was given to us in the Messiah Jesus before time began. Now, however, that grace has been revealed through the coming of our Savior the Messiah Jesus, who has destroyed death and through the gospel has brought life and release from death into full view. For the sake of this gospel I was appointed to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the gentiles. That is why I suffer as I do. However, I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I'm convinced that he is able to protect what he has entrusted to me until the day that he comes. Hold on to the pattern of healthy teachings that you have heard from me, along with the faith and love that are in the Messiah Jesus.
In the presence of God and the Messiah Jesus, who is going to judge those who are living and those who are dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly appeal to you to proclaim the message. Be ready to do this whether or not the time is convenient. Refute, warn, and encourage with the utmost patience when you teach. For the time will come when people will not tolerate healthy doctrine, but with itching ears will surround themselves with teachers who cater to their people's own desires. read more.
They will refuse to listen to the truth and will turn to myths. But you must be clear-headed about everything. Endure suffering. Do the work of an evangelist. Devote yourself completely to your ministry. I am already being poured out as an offering, and the time for my departure has come. I have fought the good fight. I have completed the race. I have kept the faith. The victor's crown of righteousness is now waiting for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on the day that he comes, and not only to me but also to all who eagerly wait for his appearing.
They will refuse to listen to the truth and will turn to myths. But you must be clear-headed about everything. Endure suffering. Do the work of an evangelist. Devote yourself completely to your ministry. I am already being poured out as an offering, and the time for my departure has come. I have fought the good fight. I have completed the race. I have kept the faith. The victor's crown of righteousness is now waiting for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on the day that he comes, and not only to me but also to all who eagerly wait for his appearing.
Christian ministers » Responsibility of
But when they began to oppose him and insult him, he shook out his clothes in protest and told them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the gentiles."
"Son of Man," he said, "I've appointed you to be a watchman over the house of Israel. Therefore when you hear a message that comes from me, you are to warn them for me. "So when I say to a wicked person, "You're about to die,' if you don't warn or instruct that wicked person that his behavior is wicked so he can live, that wicked person will die in his sin, but I'll hold you responsible for his death. If you warn the wicked person, and he doesn't repent of his wickedness or of his wicked behavior, he'll die in his sin, but you will have saved your own life. read more.
"When a righteous man abandons his righteousness to practice unrighteousness, I'll set a stumbling block before him. He'll die. If you don't warn him, he'll die in his sin and the righteous deeds that he had practiced won't be remembered, but you'll be held responsible for his death. If you warn the righteous person, so that he doesn't commit sin, then he'll live, since he had been warned. And you will have saved your life."
"When a righteous man abandons his righteousness to practice unrighteousness, I'll set a stumbling block before him. He'll die. If you don't warn him, he'll die in his sin and the righteous deeds that he had practiced won't be remembered, but you'll be held responsible for his death. If you warn the righteous person, so that he doesn't commit sin, then he'll live, since he had been warned. And you will have saved your life."
If I should say to a certain wicked person, "You wicked man, you're certainly about to die,' but you don't warn him to turn from his wicked behavior, he'll die in his guilt, but I'll seek retribution for his bloodshed from you.
If no one welcomes you or listens to your words, as you leave that house or town, shake its dust off your feet. I tell all of you with certainty, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town!" "Pay attention, now! I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be as cunning as serpents and as innocent as doves. read more.
Watch out for people who will hand you over to the local councils and whip you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings because of me, to testify to them and to unbelievers. When they hand you over, don't worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say, because in that hour what you are to say will be given to you. It won't be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. "Brother will hand brother over for execution, and a father his child. Children will rebel against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the person who endures to the end will be saved. So when they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, because I tell all of you with certainty that you will not have gone through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. "A disciple is not above his teacher, and a slave is not above his master. It is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher and a slave to be like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they do the same to those of his household!" "So never be afraid of them, because there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing secret that will not be made known. What I tell you in darkness you must speak in the daylight, and what is whispered in your ear you must shout from the housetops. Stop being afraid of those who kill the body but can't kill the soul. Instead, be afraid of the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell. "Two sparrows are sold for a penny, aren't they? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's permission. Indeed, even the hairs on your head have all been counted! So stop being afraid. You are worth more than a bunch of sparrows." "Therefore, everyone who acknowledges me before people I, too, will acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever denies me before people I, too, will deny before my Father in heaven." "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword! I came to turn "a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A person's enemies will include members of his own family.' "The one who loves his father or mother more than me isn't worthy of me, and the one who loves a son or daughter more than me isn't worthy of me. The one who doesn't take up his cross and follow me isn't worthy of me. The one who finds his life will lose it, and the one who loses his life because of me will find it." "The one who receives you receives me, and the one who receives me receives the one who sent me.
Watch out for people who will hand you over to the local councils and whip you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings because of me, to testify to them and to unbelievers. When they hand you over, don't worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say, because in that hour what you are to say will be given to you. It won't be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. "Brother will hand brother over for execution, and a father his child. Children will rebel against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the person who endures to the end will be saved. So when they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, because I tell all of you with certainty that you will not have gone through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. "A disciple is not above his teacher, and a slave is not above his master. It is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher and a slave to be like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they do the same to those of his household!" "So never be afraid of them, because there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing secret that will not be made known. What I tell you in darkness you must speak in the daylight, and what is whispered in your ear you must shout from the housetops. Stop being afraid of those who kill the body but can't kill the soul. Instead, be afraid of the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell. "Two sparrows are sold for a penny, aren't they? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's permission. Indeed, even the hairs on your head have all been counted! So stop being afraid. You are worth more than a bunch of sparrows." "Therefore, everyone who acknowledges me before people I, too, will acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever denies me before people I, too, will deny before my Father in heaven." "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword! I came to turn "a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A person's enemies will include members of his own family.' "The one who loves his father or mother more than me isn't worthy of me, and the one who loves a son or daughter more than me isn't worthy of me. The one who doesn't take up his cross and follow me isn't worthy of me. The one who finds his life will lose it, and the one who loses his life because of me will find it." "The one who receives you receives me, and the one who receives me receives the one who sent me.
I therefore declare to you today that I'm not responsible for the blood of any of you, because I never shrank from telling you the whole plan of God.
Day of the lord » Who the day of the lord shall be upon
then the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials and to hold unrighteous people for punishment on the day of judgment,
He called the Twelve and began to send them out two by two, giving them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing along on the trip except a walking stick no bread, no traveling bag, nothing in their moneybag. They could wear sandals but not take along an extra shirt. read more.
He told them repeatedly, "Whenever you go into a home, stay there until you leave that place. If any place will not welcome you and the people refuse to listen to you, when you leave, shake its dust off your feet as a testimony against them."
He told them repeatedly, "Whenever you go into a home, stay there until you leave that place. If any place will not welcome you and the people refuse to listen to you, when you leave, shake its dust off your feet as a testimony against them."
"Indeed, the Day of the Lord approaches all nations. As you have done it will be done to you your deeds will return to haunt you! so will all nations drink from the cup of my wrath perpetually. Just as you have drunk from the cup of my wrath upon my holy mountain, They will drink, they will gulp it down, and they will be as if they had never existed!
"For the LORD of the Heavenly Armies has reserved a time to oppose all who are proud and haughty, and the self-exalting they will be humbled. He will take his stand against all the cedars of Lebanon, against the proud and self-exalting; and against all the oaks of Bashan; against all the high mountains, and against all the lofty hills; read more.
against every high tower, and against every fortified wall; against all the ships from Tarshish, and against all their impressive watercraft. "Humanity's haughtiness will be humbled, male arrogance will be brought low, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.
against every high tower, and against every fortified wall; against all the ships from Tarshish, and against all their impressive watercraft. "Humanity's haughtiness will be humbled, male arrogance will be brought low, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.
Watch out! The Day of the LORD is coming cruel, with wrath and fierce anger to turn the entire inhabited earth into a desolation and to annihilate sinners from it. For the stars of the heavens and their constellations won't shine their light; the sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon won't shine its light. I'll punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I'll put an end to the pomposity of the arrogant, and overthrow the insolence of tyrants.
"Gather together! Yes, indeed, gather together, you shameless nation! Before the decree is carried out, before the day flies away like chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD visits you, before the Day of the LORD's wrath surprises you,
"The coming day is certainly going to burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and all who practice evil will be stubble the coming day will set them on fire," says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, "so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But the Sun of Righteousness will arise with healing in its light for those who fear my name. You will go out and leap like calves released from their stalls and trample down the wicked. Indeed, they will become ashes under the soles of your feet on the day I do this," says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.
These were the Twelve whom Jesus sent out after he had given them these instructions: "Don't turn on to the road that leads to the unbelievers, and don't enter Samaritan towns. Instead, go to the lost sheep of the nation of Israel. As you go, make this announcement: "The kingdom from heaven is near!' read more.
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. You have received without payment, so give without payment. Don't take any gold, silver, or copper in your moneybags, or a traveling bag for the trip, or an extra shirt, or sandals, or a walking stick, because a worker deserves his food. "Whatever town or village you enter, find out who is receptive in it and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet its occupants. If the household is receptive, let your blessing of peace come on it. But if it isn't receptive, let your blessing of peace return to you. If no one welcomes you or listens to your words, as you leave that house or town, shake its dust off your feet. I tell all of you with certainty, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town!"
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. You have received without payment, so give without payment. Don't take any gold, silver, or copper in your moneybags, or a traveling bag for the trip, or an extra shirt, or sandals, or a walking stick, because a worker deserves his food. "Whatever town or village you enter, find out who is receptive in it and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet its occupants. If the household is receptive, let your blessing of peace come on it. But if it isn't receptive, let your blessing of peace return to you. If no one welcomes you or listens to your words, as you leave that house or town, shake its dust off your feet. I tell all of you with certainty, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town!"
Evangelism » Jesus Christ sending forth disciples to preach
Jesus called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. Then he sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
The eleven disciples went into Galilee to the hillside to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshipped him, though some had doubts. Then Jesus approached them and told them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. read more.
Therefore, as you go, disciple people in all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I've commanded you. And remember, I am with you each and every day until the end of the age."
Therefore, as you go, disciple people in all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I've commanded you. And remember, I am with you each and every day until the end of the age."
Finally he appeared to his eleven disciples while they were eating. He rebuked them for their unbelief and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who had seen him after he had risen. Then he told them, "As you go into the entire world, proclaim the gospel to everyone. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever doesn't believe will be condemned. read more.
These are the signs that will accompany those who believe: In my name they'll drive out demons, they'll speak in new languages, and they'll pick up snakes with their hands.Even if they drink any deadly poison, it won't hurt them, and they'll place their hands on the sick, and they'll recover." So the Lord Jesus, after talking with his disciples, was taken up to heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. Then his disciples went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord kept working with them and confirming the message by the signs that accompanied it.
These are the signs that will accompany those who believe: In my name they'll drive out demons, they'll speak in new languages, and they'll pick up snakes with their hands.Even if they drink any deadly poison, it won't hurt them, and they'll place their hands on the sick, and they'll recover." So the Lord Jesus, after talking with his disciples, was taken up to heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. Then his disciples went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord kept working with them and confirming the message by the signs that accompanied it.
After this, the Lord appointed 70 other disciples and was about to send them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place that he intended to go. So he instructed them, "The harvest is vast, but the workers are few. So ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers out into his harvest. Get going! See, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. read more.
Don't carry a wallet, a traveling bag, or sandals, and don't greet anyone on the way. "Whatever house you go into, first say, "May there be peace in this house.' If a peaceful person lives there, your greeting of peace will remain with him. But if that's not the case, your greeting will come back to you. Stay with the same family, eating and drinking whatever they provide, because the worker deserves his pay. Don't move from house to house. "Whenever you go into a town and the people welcome you, eat whatever they serve you, heal the sick that are there, and tell them, "The kingdom of God is near you!' But whenever you go into a town and people don't welcome you, go out into its streets and say, "We're wiping off your town's dust that clings to our feet in protest against you! But realize this: the kingdom of God is near!' I tell you, on the last day it will be easier for Sodom than for that town!"
Don't carry a wallet, a traveling bag, or sandals, and don't greet anyone on the way. "Whatever house you go into, first say, "May there be peace in this house.' If a peaceful person lives there, your greeting of peace will remain with him. But if that's not the case, your greeting will come back to you. Stay with the same family, eating and drinking whatever they provide, because the worker deserves his pay. Don't move from house to house. "Whenever you go into a town and the people welcome you, eat whatever they serve you, heal the sick that are there, and tell them, "The kingdom of God is near you!' But whenever you go into a town and people don't welcome you, go out into its streets and say, "We're wiping off your town's dust that clings to our feet in protest against you! But realize this: the kingdom of God is near!' I tell you, on the last day it will be easier for Sodom than for that town!"
Then he told them, "These are the words that I spoke to you while I was still with you that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms had to be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds so that they might understand the Scriptures. He told them, "This is how it is written: the Messiah was to suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, read more.
and then repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am sending to you what my Father promised, so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."
and then repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am sending to you what my Father promised, so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."
This is what I mean: Each of you is saying, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas," or "I belong to the Messiah." Is the Messiah divided? Paul wasn't crucified for you, was he? You weren't baptized in Paul's name, were you? I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, read more.
so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. (Oh yes, I also baptized the family of Stephanas. Beyond that, I'm not sure whether I baptized anyone else.) For the Messiah did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, not with eloquent wisdom, so the cross of the Messiah won't be emptied of its power.
so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. (Oh yes, I also baptized the family of Stephanas. Beyond that, I'm not sure whether I baptized anyone else.) For the Messiah did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, not with eloquent wisdom, so the cross of the Messiah won't be emptied of its power.
These were the Twelve whom Jesus sent out after he had given them these instructions: "Don't turn on to the road that leads to the unbelievers, and don't enter Samaritan towns. Instead, go to the lost sheep of the nation of Israel. As you go, make this announcement: "The kingdom from heaven is near!' read more.
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. You have received without payment, so give without payment. Don't take any gold, silver, or copper in your moneybags, or a traveling bag for the trip, or an extra shirt, or sandals, or a walking stick, because a worker deserves his food. "Whatever town or village you enter, find out who is receptive in it and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet its occupants. If the household is receptive, let your blessing of peace come on it. But if it isn't receptive, let your blessing of peace return to you. If no one welcomes you or listens to your words, as you leave that house or town, shake its dust off your feet. I tell all of you with certainty, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town!" "Pay attention, now! I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be as cunning as serpents and as innocent as doves.
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. You have received without payment, so give without payment. Don't take any gold, silver, or copper in your moneybags, or a traveling bag for the trip, or an extra shirt, or sandals, or a walking stick, because a worker deserves his food. "Whatever town or village you enter, find out who is receptive in it and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet its occupants. If the household is receptive, let your blessing of peace come on it. But if it isn't receptive, let your blessing of peace return to you. If no one welcomes you or listens to your words, as you leave that house or town, shake its dust off your feet. I tell all of you with certainty, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town!" "Pay attention, now! I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be as cunning as serpents and as innocent as doves.
Jesus had been telling them, "A prophet is without honor only in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own home." He couldn't perform a miracle there except to lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went around to the villages and continued teaching. read more.
He called the Twelve and began to send them out two by two, giving them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing along on the trip except a walking stick no bread, no traveling bag, nothing in their moneybag. They could wear sandals but not take along an extra shirt. He told them repeatedly, "Whenever you go into a home, stay there until you leave that place. If any place will not welcome you and the people refuse to listen to you, when you leave, shake its dust off your feet as a testimony against them." So they went and preached that people should repent.
He called the Twelve and began to send them out two by two, giving them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing along on the trip except a walking stick no bread, no traveling bag, nothing in their moneybag. They could wear sandals but not take along an extra shirt. He told them repeatedly, "Whenever you go into a home, stay there until you leave that place. If any place will not welcome you and the people refuse to listen to you, when you leave, shake its dust off your feet as a testimony against them." So they went and preached that people should repent.
Gomorrah » Destroyed
The whole land will be covered with salt pits and burning sulfur, with nothing planted, nothing sprouting, and producing no vegetation overthrown like Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, when the LORD overthrew them in his raging fury.
and if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and destroyed them by burning them to ashes, making them an example to ungodly people of what is going to happen to them;
Babylon, that jewel of kingdoms, the splendor and pride of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah, when God overthrew them
Instead, their vine is from the vines of Sodom and the vineyards of Gomorrah. Their grapes are poisonous, their clusters bitter.
If any place will not welcome you and the people refuse to listen to you, when you leave, shake its dust off your feet as a testimony against them."
Likewise, Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities near them, which like them committed sexual sins and pursued homosexual activities, serve as an example of the punishment of eternal fire.
"I overthrew your cities, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. You've become like a burning ember, snatched from the fire, but you have not returned to me," declares the LORD.
Then the LORD rained sulfur and fire out of the sky from the LORD on Sodom and Gomorrah, overthrowing those cities, all of the plain, and everyone who lived in the cities. He also destroyed the plants that grew out of the ground. But Lot's wife looked back as she lingered behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. read more.
Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD earlier. He looked off toward Sodom, Gomorrah, and the entire plain, and he saw smoke rising from the land like smoke from a furnace.
Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD earlier. He looked off toward Sodom, Gomorrah, and the entire plain, and he saw smoke rising from the land like smoke from a furnace.
If the Lord of the Heavenly Armies hadn't left us a few survivors, we would be like Sodom; we would be like Gomorrah. "Listen to what the LORD says, you rulers of Sodom, and pay attention to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!
Among the prophets of Jerusalem I saw a horrible thing, for they commit adultery and live a lie. They strengthen the hands of those who do evil, so that no one repents of his evil. All of them are like Sodom to me, and her residents like Gomorrah."
Just like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighbors," says the LORD, "no one will live there. No human being will reside in it.
Just as when God overthrew Sodom, Gomorrah, and their neighbors," declares the LORD, "so also no one will live there. No human being will reside in it.
Therefore as I'm alive and living," declares the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, "Moab will surely become like Sodom, and the Ammonites like Gomorrah, a place overrun by weeds and salty marshes, unpopulated forever. The survivors of my people will confiscate their property, and those who remain of my nation will inherit what was theirs.
I tell all of you with certainty, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town!"
It is just as Isaiah predicted: "If the Lord of the Heavenly Armies had not left us some descendants, we would have become like Sodom and would have been compared to Gomorrah."
Hearing » Those that do not hear the lord’s disciples
He called the Twelve and began to send them out two by two, giving them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing along on the trip except a walking stick no bread, no traveling bag, nothing in their moneybag. They could wear sandals but not take along an extra shirt. read more.
He told them repeatedly, "Whenever you go into a home, stay there until you leave that place. If any place will not welcome you and the people refuse to listen to you, when you leave, shake its dust off your feet as a testimony against them."
He told them repeatedly, "Whenever you go into a home, stay there until you leave that place. If any place will not welcome you and the people refuse to listen to you, when you leave, shake its dust off your feet as a testimony against them."
These were the Twelve whom Jesus sent out after he had given them these instructions: "Don't turn on to the road that leads to the unbelievers, and don't enter Samaritan towns. Instead, go to the lost sheep of the nation of Israel. As you go, make this announcement: "The kingdom from heaven is near!' read more.
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. You have received without payment, so give without payment. Don't take any gold, silver, or copper in your moneybags, or a traveling bag for the trip, or an extra shirt, or sandals, or a walking stick, because a worker deserves his food. "Whatever town or village you enter, find out who is receptive in it and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet its occupants. If the household is receptive, let your blessing of peace come on it. But if it isn't receptive, let your blessing of peace return to you. If no one welcomes you or listens to your words, as you leave that house or town, shake its dust off your feet. I tell all of you with certainty, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town!"
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. You have received without payment, so give without payment. Don't take any gold, silver, or copper in your moneybags, or a traveling bag for the trip, or an extra shirt, or sandals, or a walking stick, because a worker deserves his food. "Whatever town or village you enter, find out who is receptive in it and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet its occupants. If the household is receptive, let your blessing of peace come on it. But if it isn't receptive, let your blessing of peace return to you. If no one welcomes you or listens to your words, as you leave that house or town, shake its dust off your feet. I tell all of you with certainty, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town!"
Jesus called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. Then he sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them, "Don't take anything along on your trip no walking stick, traveling bag, bread, money, or even an extra shirt. read more.
When you visit a home and stay there, and go out from there, if people don't welcome you, when you leave that city, shake its dust off your feet as a testimony against them." So they left and went from village to village, spreading the good news and healing diseases everywhere.
When you visit a home and stay there, and go out from there, if people don't welcome you, when you leave that city, shake its dust off your feet as a testimony against them." So they left and went from village to village, spreading the good news and healing diseases everywhere.
After this, the Lord appointed 70 other disciples and was about to send them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place that he intended to go. So he instructed them, "The harvest is vast, but the workers are few. So ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers out into his harvest. Get going! See, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. read more.
Don't carry a wallet, a traveling bag, or sandals, and don't greet anyone on the way. "Whatever house you go into, first say, "May there be peace in this house.' If a peaceful person lives there, your greeting of peace will remain with him. But if that's not the case, your greeting will come back to you. Stay with the same family, eating and drinking whatever they provide, because the worker deserves his pay. Don't move from house to house. "Whenever you go into a town and the people welcome you, eat whatever they serve you, heal the sick that are there, and tell them, "The kingdom of God is near you!' But whenever you go into a town and people don't welcome you, go out into its streets and say, "We're wiping off your town's dust that clings to our feet in protest against you! But realize this: the kingdom of God is near!' I tell you, on the last day it will be easier for Sodom than for that town!"
Don't carry a wallet, a traveling bag, or sandals, and don't greet anyone on the way. "Whatever house you go into, first say, "May there be peace in this house.' If a peaceful person lives there, your greeting of peace will remain with him. But if that's not the case, your greeting will come back to you. Stay with the same family, eating and drinking whatever they provide, because the worker deserves his pay. Don't move from house to house. "Whenever you go into a town and the people welcome you, eat whatever they serve you, heal the sick that are there, and tell them, "The kingdom of God is near you!' But whenever you go into a town and people don't welcome you, go out into its streets and say, "We're wiping off your town's dust that clings to our feet in protest against you! But realize this: the kingdom of God is near!' I tell you, on the last day it will be easier for Sodom than for that town!"
Opportunity » The measure of responsibility
Jesus told him, "A man gave a large banquet and invited many people. When it was time for the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who were invited, "Come! Everything is now ready.' Every single one of them began asking to be excused. The first told him, "I bought a field, and I need to go out and inspect it. Please excuse me.' read more.
Another said, "I bought five pairs of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.' Still another said, "I recently got married, so I can't come.' "So the servant went back and reported all this to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and told his servant, "Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring back the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.' The servant said, "Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.' Then the master told the servant, "Go out into the streets and the lanes and make the people come in, so that my house may be full. Because I tell all of you, none of those men who were invited will taste anything at my banquet.'"
Another said, "I bought five pairs of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.' Still another said, "I recently got married, so I can't come.' "So the servant went back and reported all this to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and told his servant, "Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring back the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.' The servant said, "Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.' Then the master told the servant, "Go out into the streets and the lanes and make the people come in, so that my house may be full. Because I tell all of you, none of those men who were invited will taste anything at my banquet.'"
So he said, "A prince went to a distant country to be appointed king and then to return. He called ten of his servants and gave them ten coins. He told them, "Invest this money until I come back.' But the citizens of his country hated him and sent a delegation to follow him and to announce, "We don't want this man to rule over us!' read more.
"After he was appointed king, the prince came back. He ordered the servants to whom he had given the money to be called so he could find out what they had earned by investing. The first servant came and said, "Sir, your coin has earned ten more coins.' The king told him, "Well done, good servant! Because you have been trustworthy in a very small thing, take charge of ten cities.' "The second servant came and said, "Your coin, sir, has earned five coins.' The king told him, "You take charge of five cities.' "Then the other servant came and said, "Sir, look! Here's your coin. I've kept it in a cloth for safekeeping because I was afraid of you. You are a hard man. You withdraw what you didn't deposit and harvest what you didn't plant.' The king told him, "I will judge you by your own words, you evil servant! You knew, did you, that I was a hard man, and that I withdraw what I didn't deposit and harvest what I didn't plant? Then why didn't you put my money in the bank? When I returned, I could have collected it with interest.' "So the king told those standing nearby, "Take the coin away from him and give it to the man who has the ten coins.' They answered him, "Sir, he already has ten coins!' "I tell you, to everyone who has something, more will be given, but from the person who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. But as for these enemies of mine who didn't want me to be their king bring them here and slaughter them in my presence!'"
"After he was appointed king, the prince came back. He ordered the servants to whom he had given the money to be called so he could find out what they had earned by investing. The first servant came and said, "Sir, your coin has earned ten more coins.' The king told him, "Well done, good servant! Because you have been trustworthy in a very small thing, take charge of ten cities.' "The second servant came and said, "Your coin, sir, has earned five coins.' The king told him, "You take charge of five cities.' "Then the other servant came and said, "Sir, look! Here's your coin. I've kept it in a cloth for safekeeping because I was afraid of you. You are a hard man. You withdraw what you didn't deposit and harvest what you didn't plant.' The king told him, "I will judge you by your own words, you evil servant! You knew, did you, that I was a hard man, and that I withdraw what I didn't deposit and harvest what I didn't plant? Then why didn't you put my money in the bank? When I returned, I could have collected it with interest.' "So the king told those standing nearby, "Take the coin away from him and give it to the man who has the ten coins.' They answered him, "Sir, he already has ten coins!' "I tell you, to everyone who has something, more will be given, but from the person who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. But as for these enemies of mine who didn't want me to be their king bring them here and slaughter them in my presence!'"
Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had taken place, because they didn't repent. "How terrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How terrible it will be for you, Bethsaida! Because if the miracles that happened in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. Indeed I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on Judgment Day than for you! read more.
"And you, Capernaum! You won't be lifted up to heaven, will you? You'll go down to Hell! Because if the miracles that happened in you had taken place in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. Indeed I tell you, it will be more bearable for the land of Sodom on Judgment Day than for you!"
"And you, Capernaum! You won't be lifted up to heaven, will you? You'll go down to Hell! Because if the miracles that happened in you had taken place in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. Indeed I tell you, it will be more bearable for the land of Sodom on Judgment Day than for you!"
They will go with their flocks and herds to seek the LORD, but they will not find him; he has withdrawn from them.
"Because I called out to you and you refused to respond I appealed, but no one paid attention because you neglected all my advice and did not want my correction, I will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when what you fear comes, read more.
when what you dread comes like a storm, and your calamity comes on like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. "Then they will call out to me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. "Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD; they did not want my advice, and they rejected all my correction. They will eat the fruit of their way, and they will be filled with their own devices. Indeed, the waywardness of the naive will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. "But the person who listens to me will live safely and will be secure from the fear of evil."
when what you dread comes like a storm, and your calamity comes on like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. "Then they will call out to me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. "Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD; they did not want my advice, and they rejected all my correction. They will eat the fruit of their way, and they will be filled with their own devices. Indeed, the waywardness of the naive will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. "But the person who listens to me will live safely and will be secure from the fear of evil."
If you warn the wicked person, and he doesn't repent of his wickedness or of his wicked behavior, he'll die in his sin, but you will have saved your own life.
The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we haven't been delivered.
That servant who knew what his master wanted but didn't prepare himself or do what was wanted will receive a severe beating.
This message came to me from the LORD: "Son of Man, speak to your nation's children and tell them: "If I bring war to a land, and the people of that land appoint one of their conscripted men to serve as a sentinel, and if he notices that violence is approaching and sounds an alarm to warn the people, read more.
then if anyone who hears the sound of the alarm does not heed the warning, when the sword arrives and destroys him, his shed blood will remain his own responsibility. After all, he heard the alarm sounding, but did not heed the warning, so his shed blood will remain his own responsibility. If he had heeded the warning, he would have saved himself. If that sentinel notices that violence is approaching, but does not sound an alarm, then because the nation does not take warning and the sword arrives and destroys their lives because of their guilt, I'll seek retribution for their shed blood from the one who was acting as sentinel.'" "Now as for you, Son of Man, I've established you as a sentinel for the house of Israel. So whenever you hear a message from me, you are to warn the people from me. If I should say to a certain wicked person, "You wicked man, you're certainly about to die,' but you don't warn him to turn from his wicked behavior, he'll die in his guilt, but I'll seek retribution for his bloodshed from you. However, if you warn the wicked to turn from his behavior and he does not do so, he will die in his guilt, and you will have saved yourself." ""Now, Son of Man, tell this to the house of Israel: "You keep saying, "Our crimes and sins burden us so much that we're rotting away, so how can we keep on living?"' "Tell them, "As certainly as I'm alive and living,' declares the Lord GOD, "I receive no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Instead, my pleasure is that the wicked repent from their behavior and live. Turn back! Turn back, all of you, from your wicked behavior! Why do you have to die, you house of Israel?'" "And now, Son of Man, say this to your people: "The righteousness of the righteous won't save them when they keep on committing crimes against me, the wickedness of the wicked won't keep them from remaining away when they're turning from their wickedness, and no righteous person will keep on living by their righteousness when they sin.' "If I tell the righteous person that he will certainly live, if he trusts in his own righteousness and commits evil, none of his righteousness will be remembered, and he will die because of the wrong that he commits. "If I tell the wicked person that he will certainly die, if he turns from his sin and acts with justice and righteousness, returning what has been placed as collateral for a loan, paying back what he has taken, following the regulations that promote life, and committing no iniquity, he will certainly live, and not die. None of the sins that he has committed will be remembered against him. Since he did what is just and right, he will certainly live. "Nevertheless, your people's children keep saying, "Living life the Lord's way isn't right,' when all the while it is their way of living that isn't right.
then if anyone who hears the sound of the alarm does not heed the warning, when the sword arrives and destroys him, his shed blood will remain his own responsibility. After all, he heard the alarm sounding, but did not heed the warning, so his shed blood will remain his own responsibility. If he had heeded the warning, he would have saved himself. If that sentinel notices that violence is approaching, but does not sound an alarm, then because the nation does not take warning and the sword arrives and destroys their lives because of their guilt, I'll seek retribution for their shed blood from the one who was acting as sentinel.'" "Now as for you, Son of Man, I've established you as a sentinel for the house of Israel. So whenever you hear a message from me, you are to warn the people from me. If I should say to a certain wicked person, "You wicked man, you're certainly about to die,' but you don't warn him to turn from his wicked behavior, he'll die in his guilt, but I'll seek retribution for his bloodshed from you. However, if you warn the wicked to turn from his behavior and he does not do so, he will die in his guilt, and you will have saved yourself." ""Now, Son of Man, tell this to the house of Israel: "You keep saying, "Our crimes and sins burden us so much that we're rotting away, so how can we keep on living?"' "Tell them, "As certainly as I'm alive and living,' declares the Lord GOD, "I receive no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Instead, my pleasure is that the wicked repent from their behavior and live. Turn back! Turn back, all of you, from your wicked behavior! Why do you have to die, you house of Israel?'" "And now, Son of Man, say this to your people: "The righteousness of the righteous won't save them when they keep on committing crimes against me, the wickedness of the wicked won't keep them from remaining away when they're turning from their wickedness, and no righteous person will keep on living by their righteousness when they sin.' "If I tell the righteous person that he will certainly live, if he trusts in his own righteousness and commits evil, none of his righteousness will be remembered, and he will die because of the wrong that he commits. "If I tell the wicked person that he will certainly die, if he turns from his sin and acts with justice and righteousness, returning what has been placed as collateral for a loan, paying back what he has taken, following the regulations that promote life, and committing no iniquity, he will certainly live, and not die. None of the sins that he has committed will be remembered against him. Since he did what is just and right, he will certainly live. "Nevertheless, your people's children keep saying, "Living life the Lord's way isn't right,' when all the while it is their way of living that isn't right.
If no one welcomes you or listens to your words, as you leave that house or town, shake its dust off your feet. I tell all of you with certainty, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town!"
"That is why I am sending you prophets, wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will whip in your synagogues and persecute from town to town. As a result, you will be held accountable for all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of the righteous Abel to the blood of Berechiah's son Zechariah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. I tell all of you with certainty, all these things will happen to those living today." read more.
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones to death those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! Look! Your house is left abandoned!
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones to death those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! Look! Your house is left abandoned!
After the homeowner gets up and closes the door, you can stand outside, knock on the door, and say again and again, "Lord, open the door for us!' But he will answer you, "I don't know where you come from.' Then you will say, "We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.' But he will tell you, "I don't know where you come from. Get away from me, all you who practice evil!' read more.
In that place there will be crying and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves being driven away on the outside.
In that place there will be crying and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves being driven away on the outside.
Receiving » Those that do not receive jesus Christ’s disciples
He called the Twelve and began to send them out two by two, giving them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing along on the trip except a walking stick no bread, no traveling bag, nothing in their moneybag. They could wear sandals but not take along an extra shirt. read more.
He told them repeatedly, "Whenever you go into a home, stay there until you leave that place. If any place will not welcome you and the people refuse to listen to you, when you leave, shake its dust off your feet as a testimony against them."
He told them repeatedly, "Whenever you go into a home, stay there until you leave that place. If any place will not welcome you and the people refuse to listen to you, when you leave, shake its dust off your feet as a testimony against them."
Jesus called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. Then he sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them, "Don't take anything along on your trip no walking stick, traveling bag, bread, money, or even an extra shirt. read more.
When you visit a home and stay there, and go out from there, if people don't welcome you, when you leave that city, shake its dust off your feet as a testimony against them."
When you visit a home and stay there, and go out from there, if people don't welcome you, when you leave that city, shake its dust off your feet as a testimony against them."
These were the Twelve whom Jesus sent out after he had given them these instructions: "Don't turn on to the road that leads to the unbelievers, and don't enter Samaritan towns. Instead, go to the lost sheep of the nation of Israel. As you go, make this announcement: "The kingdom from heaven is near!' read more.
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. You have received without payment, so give without payment. Don't take any gold, silver, or copper in your moneybags, or a traveling bag for the trip, or an extra shirt, or sandals, or a walking stick, because a worker deserves his food. "Whatever town or village you enter, find out who is receptive in it and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet its occupants. If the household is receptive, let your blessing of peace come on it. But if it isn't receptive, let your blessing of peace return to you. If no one welcomes you or listens to your words, as you leave that house or town, shake its dust off your feet. I tell all of you with certainty, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town!"
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. You have received without payment, so give without payment. Don't take any gold, silver, or copper in your moneybags, or a traveling bag for the trip, or an extra shirt, or sandals, or a walking stick, because a worker deserves his food. "Whatever town or village you enter, find out who is receptive in it and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet its occupants. If the household is receptive, let your blessing of peace come on it. But if it isn't receptive, let your blessing of peace return to you. If no one welcomes you or listens to your words, as you leave that house or town, shake its dust off your feet. I tell all of you with certainty, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town!"
After this, the Lord appointed 70 other disciples and was about to send them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place that he intended to go. So he instructed them, "The harvest is vast, but the workers are few. So ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers out into his harvest. Get going! See, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. read more.
Don't carry a wallet, a traveling bag, or sandals, and don't greet anyone on the way. "Whatever house you go into, first say, "May there be peace in this house.' If a peaceful person lives there, your greeting of peace will remain with him. But if that's not the case, your greeting will come back to you. Stay with the same family, eating and drinking whatever they provide, because the worker deserves his pay. Don't move from house to house. "Whenever you go into a town and the people welcome you, eat whatever they serve you, heal the sick that are there, and tell them, "The kingdom of God is near you!' But whenever you go into a town and people don't welcome you, go out into its streets and say, "We're wiping off your town's dust that clings to our feet in protest against you! But realize this: the kingdom of God is near!' I tell you, on the last day it will be easier for Sodom than for that town!"
Don't carry a wallet, a traveling bag, or sandals, and don't greet anyone on the way. "Whatever house you go into, first say, "May there be peace in this house.' If a peaceful person lives there, your greeting of peace will remain with him. But if that's not the case, your greeting will come back to you. Stay with the same family, eating and drinking whatever they provide, because the worker deserves his pay. Don't move from house to house. "Whenever you go into a town and the people welcome you, eat whatever they serve you, heal the sick that are there, and tell them, "The kingdom of God is near you!' But whenever you go into a town and people don't welcome you, go out into its streets and say, "We're wiping off your town's dust that clings to our feet in protest against you! But realize this: the kingdom of God is near!' I tell you, on the last day it will be easier for Sodom than for that town!"
Sodom » Destroyed on account of the wickedness of the people
The whole land will be covered with salt pits and burning sulfur, with nothing planted, nothing sprouting, and producing no vegetation overthrown like Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, when the LORD overthrew them in his raging fury.
and if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and destroyed them by burning them to ashes, making them an example to ungodly people of what is going to happen to them;
Babylon, that jewel of kingdoms, the splendor and pride of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah, when God overthrew them
But on the day when Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed all of them.
"I overthrew your cities, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. You've become like a burning ember, snatched from the fire, but you have not returned to me," declares the LORD.
Just like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighbors," says the LORD, "no one will live there. No human being will reside in it.
Just as when God overthrew Sodom, Gomorrah, and their neighbors," declares the LORD, "so also no one will live there. No human being will reside in it.
Therefore as I'm alive and living," declares the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, "Moab will surely become like Sodom, and the Ammonites like Gomorrah, a place overrun by weeds and salty marshes, unpopulated forever. The survivors of my people will confiscate their property, and those who remain of my nation will inherit what was theirs.
I tell all of you with certainty, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town!"
It is just as Isaiah predicted: "If the Lord of the Heavenly Armies had not left us some descendants, we would have become like Sodom and would have been compared to Gomorrah."
The two angels entered Sodom at sunset while Lot was sitting in the gate area of the city. When Lot saw them, he got up, greeted them, bowed low with his face to the ground, and said, "Look, my lords! Please come inside your servant's house, wash your feet, and spend the night. Then you can get up early and be on your way." But they responded, "No, we would rather spend the night in the town square." But Lot kept urging them strongly, so they turned aside and entered his house. He prepared a festival and baked unleavened flat bread for them, and they ate. read more.
Before they could lie down, all the men of Sodom and its outskirts, both young and old, surrounded the house. They called out to Lot and asked, "Where are the men who came to visit you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sex with them!" Lot went outside to them, shut the door behind him, and said, "I urge you, my brothers, don't do such a wicked thing. Look here, I have two daughters who are virgins. Let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them whatever you wish, only don't do anything to these men, because they're here under my protection." But they replied, "Get out of the way! This man came here as a foreigner, and now he's acting like a judge! So we're going to deal more harshly with you than with them." Then they pushed hard against the man (that is, against Lot), intending to break down the door. But the angels inside reached out, dragged Lot back into the house with them, shut the door, and blinded the men who were at the entrance of the house, from the least important to the greatest, so they were unable to find the doorway. "Do you have anyone else here in the city?" the angels asked Lot. "A son-in-law? Sons? Daughters? Get them out of this place, because we're going to destroy it. Their outcry has come to the attention of the LORD, so he sent us here to destroy it!" Lot then went out and told his sons-in-law (they had married his daughters), "Get out of here! The LORD is going to destroy this city!" But his sons-in-law thought he was joking. As dawn was breaking, the angels pressured Lot. "Get going!" they told him. "Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be engulfed by the devastation that's coming to this city." But Lot kept lingering in the city, so the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters (because of the LORD's compassion for him!), brought them out of the city, and left them outside. Then one of them said, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back or stop anywhere on the plain. Escape to the hills, or you'll be swept away!" "No! Please, my lords!" Lot pleaded with them. "Your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me your gracious love in how you have dealt with me by keeping me alive. I cannot escape to the hills, because I'm afraid the disaster will overtake me, and I'll die. Look, there is a town nearby where I can flee, and it's a small one. Let me escape there! It's a small one, isn't it? That way I'll stay alive!" "All right," the angel replied to Lot, "I'll agree with your request! I won't overthrow the town that you mentioned. Hurry up and flee there, because I cannot do anything until you get to that town." Therefore the name of the town was called Zoar. The sun had risen over the land about the time Lot reached Zoar. Then the LORD rained sulfur and fire out of the sky from the LORD on Sodom and Gomorrah, overthrowing those cities, all of the plain, and everyone who lived in the cities. He also destroyed the plants that grew out of the ground. But Lot's wife looked back as she lingered behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD earlier. He looked off toward Sodom, Gomorrah, and the entire plain, and he saw smoke rising from the land like smoke from a furnace. And so it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham and brought Lot out from the midst of the destruction when he overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.
Before they could lie down, all the men of Sodom and its outskirts, both young and old, surrounded the house. They called out to Lot and asked, "Where are the men who came to visit you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sex with them!" Lot went outside to them, shut the door behind him, and said, "I urge you, my brothers, don't do such a wicked thing. Look here, I have two daughters who are virgins. Let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them whatever you wish, only don't do anything to these men, because they're here under my protection." But they replied, "Get out of the way! This man came here as a foreigner, and now he's acting like a judge! So we're going to deal more harshly with you than with them." Then they pushed hard against the man (that is, against Lot), intending to break down the door. But the angels inside reached out, dragged Lot back into the house with them, shut the door, and blinded the men who were at the entrance of the house, from the least important to the greatest, so they were unable to find the doorway. "Do you have anyone else here in the city?" the angels asked Lot. "A son-in-law? Sons? Daughters? Get them out of this place, because we're going to destroy it. Their outcry has come to the attention of the LORD, so he sent us here to destroy it!" Lot then went out and told his sons-in-law (they had married his daughters), "Get out of here! The LORD is going to destroy this city!" But his sons-in-law thought he was joking. As dawn was breaking, the angels pressured Lot. "Get going!" they told him. "Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be engulfed by the devastation that's coming to this city." But Lot kept lingering in the city, so the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters (because of the LORD's compassion for him!), brought them out of the city, and left them outside. Then one of them said, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back or stop anywhere on the plain. Escape to the hills, or you'll be swept away!" "No! Please, my lords!" Lot pleaded with them. "Your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me your gracious love in how you have dealt with me by keeping me alive. I cannot escape to the hills, because I'm afraid the disaster will overtake me, and I'll die. Look, there is a town nearby where I can flee, and it's a small one. Let me escape there! It's a small one, isn't it? That way I'll stay alive!" "All right," the angel replied to Lot, "I'll agree with your request! I won't overthrow the town that you mentioned. Hurry up and flee there, because I cannot do anything until you get to that town." Therefore the name of the town was called Zoar. The sun had risen over the land about the time Lot reached Zoar. Then the LORD rained sulfur and fire out of the sky from the LORD on Sodom and Gomorrah, overthrowing those cities, all of the plain, and everyone who lived in the cities. He also destroyed the plants that grew out of the ground. But Lot's wife looked back as she lingered behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD earlier. He looked off toward Sodom, Gomorrah, and the entire plain, and he saw smoke rising from the land like smoke from a furnace. And so it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham and brought Lot out from the midst of the destruction when he overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.
The guilt of my cherished people surpasses the sin of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, without a hand to help her.
Sodom » A type of gross sin
Instead, their vine is from the vines of Sodom and the vineyards of Gomorrah. Their grapes are poisonous, their clusters bitter.
Their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.
I tell all of you with certainty, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town!"
The guilt of my cherished people surpasses the sin of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, without a hand to help her.
If the Lord of the Heavenly Armies hadn't left us a few survivors, we would be like Sodom; we would be like Gomorrah.