81 Bible Verses about Church

The gentiles are heirs-in-common, members-in-common of the body, and common participants in what was promised by the Messiah Jesus through the gospel.

There is one body and one Spirit. Likewise, you were called to the one hope of your calling. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, through all, and in all.

I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by your Name, the Name that you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one.

Let the peace of the Messiah also rule in your hearts, to which you were called in one body, and be thankful.

Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body, because all of us eat from the same loaf.

We cared so deeply for you that we were determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but our very lives. That is how dear you were to us.

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love one another. The person who does not love remains spiritually dead.

Now that you have obeyed the truth and have purified your souls to love your brothers sincerely, you must love one another intensely and with a pure heart.

Therefore, my dear brothers whom I long for, my joy and my victor's crown, this is how you must stand firm in the Lord, dear friends.

because we have heard about your faith in the Messiah Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints,

Those who are trusting in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be overthrown. They remain forever.

When you pass through the waters, I'll be with you; and through the rivers, they won't sweep over you. when you walk through fire you won't be scorched, and the flame won't set you ablaze.

You need not fear terror that stalks in the night, the arrow that flies in the day,

Hence we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?"

He need not fear a bad report, for his heart is unshaken, since he trusts in the LORD.

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that the Son might be the firstborn among many brothers.

I bowed down at his feet to worship him, but he told me, "Don't do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who rely on what Jesus is saying. Worship God, because what Jesus is saying is the spirit of prophecy!"

thereby becoming like his brothers in every way, so that he could be a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God and could atone for the people's sins.

"But you are not to be called "Rabbi,' because you have only one teacher, and all of you are brothers.

The king will answer them, "I tell all of you with certainty, since you did it for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.'

I ask not only on behalf of these men, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their message,

For God, whom I serve with my spirit by preaching the gospel about his Son, is my witness how constantly I mention you

I never stop giving thanks for you as I mention you in my prayers.

This is the reason I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah,

always praying joyfully in every one of my prayers for all of you

The voice of the LORD causes deer to give birth, and strips the forest bare. In his Temple all of them shout, "Glory!"

I have asked one thing from the LORD; it is what I really seek: that I may remain in the LORD's Temple all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD; and to inquire in his Temple.

The lamp of God had not yet been extinguished, and Samuel was lying down in the tent of the LORD where the Ark of God was.

"Two men went up to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector.

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon his throne, high and exalted. The train of his robe filled the Temple.

This is why it says in Scripture: "Look! I am laying a chosen, precious cornerstone in Zion. The one who believes in him will never be ashamed."

therefore this is what the LORD God says: "Look! I am laying a foundation stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation: Whoever believes firmly will not act hastily.

"Therefore, everyone who listens to these messages of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on a rock.

having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, the Messiah Jesus himself being the cornerstone.

After all, no one can lay any other foundation than the one that is already laid, and that is Jesus the Messiah.

Now I am rejoicing while suffering for you as I complete in my flesh whatever remains of the Messiah's sufferings on behalf of his body, which is the church.

Pay attention to yourselves and to the entire flock over which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to be shepherds of God's church, which he acquired with his own blood.

Husbands, love your wives as the Messiah loved the church and gave himself for it,

The LORD their God will save them at that time as his very own flock of people, because they are his crown jewels, exalted throughout his land.

The LORD found him in a desert land, in a barren, eerie wilderness. He surrounded, cared for, and guarded him as the pupil of his eye.

Now I am rejoicing while suffering for you as I complete in my flesh whatever remains of the Messiah's sufferings on behalf of his body, which is the church.

Pay attention to yourselves and to the entire flock over which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to be shepherds of God's church, which he acquired with his own blood.

Husbands, love your wives as the Messiah loved the church and gave himself for it,

The LORD their God will save them at that time as his very own flock of people, because they are his crown jewels, exalted throughout his land.

The LORD found him in a desert land, in a barren, eerie wilderness. He surrounded, cared for, and guarded him as the pupil of his eye.

There we sat down and cried by the rivers of Babylon as we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung our harps, for it was there that our captors asked us for songs and our torturers demanded joy from us, "Sing us one of the songs about Zion!" read more.
How are we to sing the song of the LORD on foreign soil? If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand cease to function. May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I don't remember you, if I don't consider Jerusalem to be more important than my highest joy.

Your servants take pleasure in its stones and delight in its debris.

Pray for peace for Jerusalem: "May those who love you be at peace!

For the sake of the Temple of the LORD our God, I will seek your welfare. A Song of Ascents

May the LORD bless you from Zion, and may you observe the prosperity of Jerusalem every day that you live! And may you see your children's children! Peace be on Israel! A Song of Ascents

"In addition to everything that I have supplied for the Temple, it pleases me to provide my own treasure of gold and silver, so because of my love for the Temple of my God I hereby give to the Temple of my God the following:

After this, Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tent, consecrating everything that was in it. He sprinkled some on the altar seven times, and then anointed the altar, all its vessels, the basin, and its base to consecrate them.

The same day that Moses finished setting up, anointing, and consecrating the tent and its utensils, he also anointed and consecrated the altar and its utensils.

You are to take the anointing oil and anoint the tent and all that is in it. You are to consecrate it and all its furnishings and it will be holy.

"Observe my Sabbath and stand in awe of my sanctuary. I am the LORD.

so that you may be blameless and innocent, God's children without any faults among a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world

For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light,

"You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can't be hidden.

"And I won't remain silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I won't stay quiet, until her vindication shines out like brightness, and her salvation like a burning torch.

"May all of your enemies perish like this, LORD! But may those who love him be like the ascending sun in its strength!" Then the land enjoyed quiet for 40 years.

LORD, my God, I seek refuge in you. Deliver me from those who persecute me! Rescue me!

My times are in your hands. Deliver me from the hands of my enemies and from those who pursue me.

All of your commands are reliable. I am persecuted without cause help me!

Though my persecutors and adversaries are numerous, I do not turn aside from your decrees.

Though nobles persecute me for no reason, my heart stands in awe of your words.

So be alert! Remember that for three years, night and day, I never stopped tearfully warning each of you.

So, even though I wrote to you, it wasn't because of the man who did the wrong or because of the man who was hurt. Instead, I wrote to you so that your devotion to us might be made perfectly clear to you before God.

Besides everything else, I have a daily burden because of my anxiety about all the churches.

I am afraid that I may come and somehow find you not as I want to find you, and that you may find me not as you want to find me. Perhaps there will be quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorderly conduct.

I am afraid for you! I don't want my work for you to have been wasted!

So be alert! Remember that for three years, night and day, I never stopped tearfully warning each of you.

So, even though I wrote to you, it wasn't because of the man who did the wrong or because of the man who was hurt. Instead, I wrote to you so that your devotion to us might be made perfectly clear to you before God.

Besides everything else, I have a daily burden because of my anxiety about all the churches.

I am afraid that I may come and somehow find you not as I want to find you, and that you may find me not as you want to find me. Perhaps there will be quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorderly conduct.

I am afraid for you! I don't want my work for you to have been wasted!

While they were discussing and analyzing what had happened, Jesus himself approached and began to walk with them,

I am united with all who fear you, and with everyone who keeps your precepts.

But if we keep living in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other. The LORD listened and took note, and a scroll of remembrance was written in his presence about those who fear the LORD and honor His name.

The believers continued to devote themselves to what the apostles were teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to times of prayer.

Abraham approached and asked, "Will you actually destroy the righteous along with the wicked? Perhaps there are 50 righteous ones within the city. Will you actually destroy it and not forgive the place for the sake of the 50 righteous that are found there? Far be it from you to do such a thing to kill the righteous along with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike! The Judge of all the earth will do what is right, won't he?" read more.
The LORD said, "If I find 50 righteous people within Sodom, I'll forgive the whole place for their sake." Abraham answered, "Look, even though I am only dust and ashes, I've ventured to speak to my LORD. What if there are five less than 50 righteous ones? Will you bring destruction upon the city because of those five?" The LORD said, "I won't destroy it if I find 45 there." Abraham continued to speak to him, asking, "What if 40 are found there?" The LORD replied, "I won't do it for the sake of those 40." Abraham then asked, "I hope my LORD will not be angry if I speak. What if 30 are found there?" The LORD answered, "I won't do it for the sake of those 30." "Look," Abraham said, "I've presumed to speak to my LORD" so what if 20 are found there?" "For the sake of those 20," the LORD responded, "I won't destroy it." Finally, Abraham inquired, "I hope my LORD will not be angry if I speak only once more. What if ten are found there?" He replied, "For the sake of those ten I won't destroy it."

And so Jacob was left alone, and he struggled with a man until daybreak. When the man realized that he hadn't yet won the struggle, he injured the socket of Jacob's thigh, dislocating it as he wrestled with him, and said, "Let me go, because the dawn has come." "I won't let you go," Jacob replied, "unless you bless me." read more.
Then the man asked him, "What's your name?" "Jacob," he responded "Your name won't be Jacob anymore," the man replied, "but Israel, because you exerted yourself against both God and men, and you've emerged victorious." "Please," Jacob inquired, "Tell me your name." But he asked, "Why are you asking about my name?" And he blessed Jacob there. Jacob would later call that place Peniel, because "I saw God face to face, but my life was spared."

Then King David went in to the presence of the LORD, sat down, and said: "Who am I, Lord GOD, and what is my family, that you have brought me to this? And this is still a small thing to you, Lord GOD you also have spoken about the future of your servant's house, and this is the charter for mankind, O Lord GOD! "What more can David say to you, and you surely know your servant, Lord GOD. read more.
For the sake of your word and consistent with your desire, you have done all of these great things, informing your servant. And therefore you are great, Lord GOD, there is no one like you, there is no God except for you, just as we've heard with our own ears. "And who is like your people, like Israel, the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, to make a name for himself, and to carry out for them great and awe-inspiring accomplishments, driving out nations and their gods in front of your people, whom you redeemed to yourself from Egypt? You have prepared your people Israel to be your very own people for ever, and you, LORD, have become their God! "And now, LORD God, let what you have spoken concerning your servant and his household be done and let it be done just as you've promised. May your name be made great forever with the result that it is said that the LORD of the Heavenly Armies is God over Israel, and that the household of your servant David may be established before you. For you, LORD of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, have revealed this to your servant, telling him, "I will build a dynasty for you,' so that your servant has found fortitude to pray this prayer to you. "Now therefore, Lord GOD, you are God, and your words are true, and you have spoken to your servant these good things. So may it please you to bless the household of your servant, so that it might remain forever in your presence, because you, Lord GOD, have spoken, and from your blessing may the household of your servant be blessed forever."

Then Solomon took his place in front of the LORD's altar in the presence of the entire congregation of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven, and said: "LORD God of Israel, there is no one like you, God in heaven above or on the earth below, who watches over his covenant, showing gracious love to your servants who live their lives in your presence with all their hearts. It is you, LORD God, who have kept your promise to my father, your servant David, that you made to him. Indeed, you made a commitment to my father David and then personally fulfilled what you had promised today. read more.
"Now therefore, LORD God of Israel, keep your promise that you made to my father, your servant David, when you said, "You will not lack a man to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants will watch their lives, to live in my presence just as you have lived in my presence.' "Now therefore, God of Israel, may your promise that you made to your servant David my father be fulfilled" and yet, will God truly reside on earth? Look! Neither the sky nor the highest heaven can contain you! How much less this Temple that I have built! Pay attention to the prayer of your servant and to his request, LORD my God, and listen to the cry and prayer that your servant is praying in your presence today. Let your eyes always look toward this Temple night and day, toward the location where you have said "My name will reside there.' Listen to the prayer that your servant prays in this direction. Listen to the requests from your servant and from your people Israel as they pray in this direction, listen from the place where you reside in heaven, then hear and forgive. "If a man should sin against his neighbor and he is required to take an oath, and he then comes to take an oath in front of your altar in this Temple, then listen in heaven, act, and judge your servants, condemning the wicked by bringing back to him the consequences of his choices and by justifying the righteous by recompensing him according to his righteousness. "If your people Israel are defeated in a battle with their enemy because they have sinned against you, when they return to you and confess to you, pray, and in this Temple they ask you to show grace to them, then hear in heaven, forgive the sin of your people Israel, and return them to the soil that you gave to their ancestors. "When heaven remains closed, and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, and they pray in the direction of this place, confessing your name and turning from their sin when you afflict them, then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants and of your people Israel. Indeed, teach them the best way to live and send rain on your land that you have given to your people as an inheritance. "If a famine comes to the land, or if plant diseases, mildew, locust, or grasshoppers appear, or if their enemies attack them in their settlements of the land, no matter what the epidemic or illness is, whatever prayer or request is made, no matter whether it's made by a single man or by all of your people Israel, each praying out of his own hurting heart and anguish and stretching out his hands toward this Temple, then hear from heaven, the place where you reside, and forgive, repaying each person according to all of his ways, since you know their hearts for you alone know the hearts of all human beings so they will fear you every day and live on the surface of the land that you have given to our ancestors. "Now concerning the foreigner who is not from your people Israel, when he comes from a land far away for the sake of your name (for people will hear of your great name, your mighty acts, and your obvious power), when he comes and prays facing this Temple, then hear in heaven where you reside, and do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the people of the earth may know your name, fear you as do your people Israel, and so they may know that this Temple that I have built is called by your name. "When your people go out to war against their enemies, no matter what way you send them, and they pray to the LORD in the direction of the city that you have chosen and in the direction of the Temple that I have built for your name, then hear their prayer and their request in heaven, and fight for their cause. "When they sin against you because there isn't a single human being who doesn't sin and you become angry with them and deliver them over to their enemy, who takes them away captive to the land that belongs to their enemy, whether near or far away, if they turn their hearts back to you in the land where they have been taken captive, repent, and pray to you even if they do so in the land of their captivity confessing, "We have sinned, we have committed abominations, and practiced wickedness,' if they return to you with all of their heart and with all of their soul in the land of their enemies who have taken them captive, as they pray to you in the direction of their land that you have given to their ancestors and to the city that you have chosen, and to the Temple that I have built for your name, then hear their prayer and requests in heaven, where you reside, and fight for their cause, forgiving your people who have sinned against you, along with their transgressions by which they have transgressed against you. "Show your compassion in the presence of those who have taken them captive, so they may show compassion on them, since they are your people and your heritage, which you brought out of Egypt, from an iron fire furnace. Do this so your eyes may remain open to the requests of your servant and to the requests of your people's prayers, to listen to them whenever they call out to you, because you have separated them to yourself as your heritage from all the people of the earth, as you spoke through your servant Moses when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt, Lord GOD. When Solomon had completed saying this entire prayer to the LORD, he got up from kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven in the presence of the LORD's altar, stood up, and blessed all of the assembly of Israel in a loud voice. He said: "Blessed is the LORD, who has given security to his people Israel, just as he promised. Not one of his promises has failed to come about that he gave through his servant Moses. May the LORD our God be with us, just as he was with our ancestors. May he never leave us or abandon us, so that he may turn our hearts toward him, so that we may live life his way, keeping his commands, statutes, and ordinances that he gave to our ancestors. And may what I've had to say to the LORD remain with the LORD our God both day and night, so that he may defend the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel, as the need of the day may require it, so that, in turn, all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God there is no one else. Now let your heart be completely devoted to the LORD our God, to live according to his statutes and to keep his commands, as we are doing today."

Once Jesus was praying in a certain place. After he had finished, one of his disciples told him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." So he told them, "Whenever you pray you are to say, "Father, may your name be kept holy. May your kingdom come. Keep giving us every day our daily bread, read more.
and forgive us our sins, as we forgive everyone who sins against us. And never bring us into temptation.'" Then he told them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, "Friend, let me borrow three loaves of bread. A friend of mine on a trip has dropped in on me, and I don't have anything to serve him.' Suppose he answers from inside, "Stop bothering me! The door is already locked, and my children are here with us in the bedroom. I can't get up and give you anything!' I tell you, even though that man doesn't want to get up and give him anything because he is his friend, he will get up and give him whatever he needs because of his persistence. So I say to you: Keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened for you, because everyone who keeps asking will receive, and the person who keeps searching will find, and the person who keeps knocking will have the door opened. What father among you, if his son asks for bread, would give him a stone, or if he asks for a fish, would give him a snake instead of the fish? Or if he asks for an egg, would he give him a scorpion? So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who keep asking him!"

May grain be abundant in the land all the way to the mountain tops; may its fruits flourish like the forests of Lebanon, and may the cities sprout like the grass of the earth.

"Look! You will call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that does not know you will run to you, because of the LORD your God, even the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you."

And he won't grow faint or be crushed until he establishes justice on the mainland, and the coastlands take ownership of his Law."

Of the growth of his government and peace there will be no end. He will rule over his kingdom, sitting on the throne of David, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies will accomplish this.

For you will spread out to the right hand and to the left, and your descendants will possess the nations and will populate the deserted towns.

May grain be abundant in the land all the way to the mountain tops; may its fruits flourish like the forests of Lebanon, and may the cities sprout like the grass of the earth.

"Look! You will call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that does not know you will run to you, because of the LORD your God, even the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you."

And he won't grow faint or be crushed until he establishes justice on the mainland, and the coastlands take ownership of his Law."

Of the growth of his government and peace there will be no end. He will rule over his kingdom, sitting on the throne of David, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies will accomplish this.

For you will spread out to the right hand and to the left, and your descendants will possess the nations and will populate the deserted towns.

Then one of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the high priests and inquired, "What are you willing to give me if I betray Jesus to you?" They offered him 30 pieces of silver, and from then on he began to look for an opportunity to betray Jesus.

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the high priests to betray Jesus to them. After they had listened to him, they were delighted and promised to give him money. So he began to look for a good opportunity to betray him.

But Satan went into Judas called Iscariot, who belonged to the circle of the Twelve. So he went off and discussed with the high priests and the Temple police how he could betray Jesus to them. They were delighted, and agreed to give him money. read more.
Judas accepted their offer and began to look for a good opportunity to betray Jesus to them when no crowd was present.

So it will be: like people, like priest. I will punish them for their lifestyles, rewarding them according to their behavior.

"He will say, "Listen, you leaders of Jacob, you officials of the house of Israel! You should know justice, should you not? you who despise good and love evil, who tear off the skin of my people, along with the flesh from their bones. You eat the flesh of my people, flaying their skin from them. You break their bones, chopping them in pieces like meat for a pot, like meat destined for a soup kettle.' read more.
"Then they will cry to the LORD, but he will not listen to them. In fact, he will hide his face from them at that time, because they were so wicked in what they were doing."

Anyone who mixes anything like it or who puts any of it on an unqualified person is to be cut off from his people.'"

They asked him, "You were born a sinner and you are trying to instruct us?" And they threw him out.

You are to eat unleavened bread for seven days. On the first day be sure to remove all the leaven from your houses, because any person who eats anything leavened from the first day until the seventh will be cut off from Israel.

But the person who eats meat from the sacrifice that belongs to the LORD, while still affected by his uncleanness, is to be eliminated from contact with his people.

to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, but fails to bring it to offer it to the LORD, that person is to be eliminated from contact with his people."

Now I am rejoicing while suffering for you as I complete in my flesh whatever remains of the Messiah's sufferings on behalf of his body, which is the church.

He does not hold on to the head, from whom the whole body, which is nourished and held together by its joints and ligaments, grows as God enables it.

to equip the saints, to do the work of ministry, and to build up the body of the Messiah

In the same way, even though we are many people, we are one body in the Messiah and individual parts connected to each other.

Now you are the Messiah's body and individual parts of it.

But I tell you that Elijah has already come, yet people did not recognize him and treated him just as they pleased. In the same way, the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands."

The person who conquers in this way will wear white clothes, and I will never erase his name from the Book of Life. I will acknowledge his name in the presence of my Father and his angels.

Therefore, I advise you to buy from me gold purified in fire so you may be rich, white clothes to wear so your shameful nakedness won't show, and ointment to put on your eyes so you may see.

Around the throne were 24 other thrones, and on these thrones sat 24 elders wearing white robes and gold victor's crowns on their heads.

After these things, I looked, and there was a crowd so large that no one was able to count it! They were from every nation, tribe, people, and language. They were standing in front of the throne and the lamb and were wearing white robes, with palm branches in their hands.

Don't be afraid of what you are going to suffer. Look! The Devil is going to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested. For ten days you will undergo suffering. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the victor's crown of life.

"Then they'll hand you over to suffer and will kill you, and you'll be hated by all the nations because of my name.

Watch out for people who will hand you over to the local councils and whip you in their synagogues.

"But before all these things take place, people will arrest you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake.

Remember what I told you: "A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

I am afraid that I may come and somehow find you not as I want to find you, and that you may find me not as you want to find me. Perhaps there will be quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorderly conduct.

My brothers, some members of Chloe's family have made it clear to me that there are quarrels among you.

That's because you are still worldly. As long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, you are worldly and living by human standards, aren't you?

Instead, one brother goes to court against another brother, and before unbelieving judges, at that!

I urge Euodia and Syntyche to have the same attitude in the Lord.

Nevertheless, everyone should live the life that the Lord gave him and to which God called him. This is my rule in all the churches.

If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you gather it may not bring judgment on you. And when I come I will give instructions concerning the other matters.

Now if the whole church gathers in the same place and everyone is speaking in foreign languages, when uneducated people or unbelievers come in, they will say that you are out of your mind, won't they?

But everything must be done in a proper and orderly way.

The reason I left you in Crete was to complete what still needed to be done and to appoint elders in every city, as I myself commanded you.

Nevertheless, everyone should live the life that the Lord gave him and to which God called him. This is my rule in all the churches.

If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you gather it may not bring judgment on you. And when I come I will give instructions concerning the other matters.

So the apostles and the elders met to look into this claim.

For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to place on you any burden but these essential requirements:

For if a man does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?

"I will heartily rejoice in the LORD, my soul will delight in my God; for he has wrapped me in garments of salvation; he has arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, just like a bridegroom, like a priest with a garland, and like a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

I put on righteousness like clothing; my just decisions were like a robe and a turban.

I will clothe its priests with salvation and its godly ones will shout for joy.

Awake, awake! Clothe yourself with strength, O Zion! Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city, for the uncircumcised and the unclean won't enter you.

So the angel continued to tell those who were standing in his presence, "Remove his filthy clothes." And he told Joshua, "Look how I've removed your iniquity. Now I'm clothing you with fine garments."

Nevertheless, everyone should live the life that the Lord gave him and to which God called him. This is my rule in all the churches.

If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you gather it may not bring judgment on you. And when I come I will give instructions concerning the other matters.

So the apostles and the elders met to look into this claim.

For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to place on you any burden but these essential requirements:

For if a man does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?

The hired worker, who isn't the shepherd and doesn't own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, deserts the sheep, and runs away. So the wolf snatches them and scatters them,

When he saw the crowds, he was deeply moved with compassion for them, because they were troubled and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Then Jesus told them, "All of you will turn against me this very night, because it is written, "I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'

Therefore, this is what the LORD God of Israel says about the shepherds who are shepherding my people, "You have scattered my flock and driven them away. You haven't taken care of them, and now I'm about to take care of you because of your evil deeds," declares the LORD.

Just as a shepherd looks after his flock during the day time while he is with them, so also I'm going to watch over my sheep, delivering them from every place where they've been scattered during the times of gloom and doom.

Have nothing to do with a divisive person after you have warned him once or twice.

These include Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I handed over to Satan so that they may learn not to blaspheme.

Now I myself, Paul, plead with you with the gentleness and kindness of the Messiah I who am humble when I am face to face with you but forceful toward you when I am away!

turn this man over to Satan for the destruction of his body, so that his spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord.

I have already warned those who sinned previously and all the rest. Although I am absent now, I am warning them as I did on my second visit: If I come back, I will not spare you,

I also saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.

The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" Let everyone who hears this say, "Come!" Let everyone who is thirsty come! Let anyone who wants the water of life take it as a gift!

I am jealous of you with God's own jealousy, because I promised you in marriage to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to the Messiah.

"For just as a young man marries a maiden, so your sons will marry you; and just as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so your God will rejoice over you.

Let us rejoice, be glad, and give him glory, because the marriage of the lamb has come and his bride has made herself ready.

LORD, who may stay in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy mountain?

For a tent was set up, and in the first part were the lamp stand, the table, and the bread of the Presence. This was called the Holy Place.

"You are to make the tent with ten curtains of fine woven linen and with blue, purple, and scarlet material. You are to make them with cherubim skillfully worked into them.

But when the Messiah came as a high priest of the good things that have come, he went through the greater and more perfect tent that was not made by human hands and that is not a part of this creation.

I'll set up my tent in your midst and I won't loathe you.

He is also the head of the body, which is the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he himself might have first place in everything.

God has put everything under the Messiah's feet and has made him the head of everything for the good of the church,

Instead, by speaking the truth in love, we will grow up completely and become one with the head, that is, one with the Messiah,

For the husband is the head of his wife as the Messiah is the head of the church. It is he who is the Savior of the body.

He does not hold on to the head, from whom the whole body, which is nourished and held together by its joints and ligaments, grows as God enables it.

Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into union with the Messiah Jesus were baptized into his death?

For by one Spirit all of us Jews and Greeks, slaves and free were baptized into one body and were all privileged to drink from one Spirit.

Indeed, all of you who were baptized into the Messiah have clothed yourselves with the Messiah.

When you were buried with the Messiah in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

Baptism, which is symbolized by that water, now saves you also, not by removing dirt from the body, but by asking God for a clear conscience based on the resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah,

How blessed is the one you choose, the one you cause to live in your courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of your house, yes, even with the holiness of your Temple.

"As my life was fading away, I remembered the LORD; and my prayer came to you in your holy Temple.

In union with him the whole building is joined together and rises into a holy sanctuary for the Lord.

But I, because of the abundance of your gracious love, may come into your house. In awe of you, I will worship in your holy Temple.

The LORD is in his holy Temple; the LORD's throne is in the heavens. His eyes see, his glance examines humanity.

For there will be a day when the watchmen will call out on the hills of Ephraim, "Arise, let's go up to Zion to the LORD our God.'"

There we sat down and cried by the rivers of Babylon as we remembered Zion.

Sing praises to the LORD who dwells in Zion; declare his mighty deeds among the nations.

Mount Zion will be glad; the towns of Judah will rejoice because of your judgments.

Remember your community, whom you purchased long ago, the tribe whom you redeemed for your possession. Remember Mount Zion, where you live.

Is anyone among you sick? He should call for the elders of the church, and they should pray for him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.

Elders who handle their duties well should be considered worthy of double compensation, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.

by sending it through Barnabas and Saul to the elders.

Therefore, as a fellow elder, a witness of the Messiah's sufferings, and one who shares in the glory to be revealed, I appeal to the elders among you:

The reason I left you in Crete was to complete what still needed to be done and to appoint elders in every city, as I myself commanded you.

Therefore, as you go, disciple people in all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever doesn't believe will be condemned.

Jesus answered, "Truly, I tell you emphatically, unless a person is born of water and Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Peter answered them, "Every one of you must repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus the Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the Holy Spirit as a gift.

So Peter ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus the Messiah. Then they asked him to stay there for several days.

How blessed is the one you choose, the one you cause to live in your courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of your house, yes, even with the holiness of your Temple.

Planted in the LORD's Temple, they will flourish in the courtyard of our God.

I desire and long for the Temple courts of the LORD. My heart and body sing for joy to the living God.

for a day in your Temple courts is better than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather stand at the entrance of God's house than live in the tent of wickedness.

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name, bring an offering and enter his courts!

They were praising God and enjoying the good will of all the people. Every day the Lord was adding to their number those who were being saved.

Now if the whole church gathers in the same place and everyone is speaking in foreign languages, when uneducated people or unbelievers come in, they will say that you are out of your mind, won't they?

I tell you that you are Peter, and it is on this rock that I will build my congregation, and the powers of hell will not conquer it.

If, however, he ignores them, tell it to the congregation. If he also ignores the congregation, regard him as an unbeliever and a tax collector.

For in the first place, I hear that when you gather as a church there are divisions among you, and I partly believe it.

While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and handed it to the disciples, saying, "Take this and eat it. This is my body."

While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and handed it to them, saying, "Take some. This is my body."

The cup of blessing that we bless is our fellowship in the blood of the Messiah, isn't it? The bread that we break is our fellowship in the body of the Messiah, isn't it?

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you how the Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took a loaf of bread,

Continue to follow and be submissive to your leaders, since they are watching over your souls as those who will have to give a word of explanation. By doing this, you will be letting them carry out their duties joyfully, and not with grief, for that would be harmful for you.

So joyfully welcome him in the Lord and make sure you honor such people highly,

Brothers, we ask you to show your appreciation for those who work among you, set an example for you in the Lord, and instruct you. Hold them in the highest regard, loving them because of their work. Live in peace with each other.

Elders who handle their duties well should be considered worthy of double compensation, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.

Remember your leaders, those who have spoken God's word to you. Think about the impact of their lives, and imitate their faith.

If you forgive people's sins, they are forgiven. If you retain people's sins, they are retained."

I will give you the keys to the kingdom from heaven. Whatever you prohibit on earth will have been prohibited in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will have been permitted in heaven."

"I tell all of you with certainty, whatever you prohibit on earth will have been prohibited in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will have been permitted in heaven.

As they went from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for them to obey.

Continue to follow and be submissive to your leaders, since they are watching over your souls as those who will have to give a word of explanation. By doing this, you will be letting them carry out their duties joyfully, and not with grief, for that would be harmful for you.

having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, the Messiah Jesus himself being the cornerstone.

I tell you that you are Peter, and it is on this rock that I will build my congregation, and the powers of hell will not conquer it.

From: Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy. To: The church of the Thessalonians in union with God the Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, be yours!

in case I am delayed, so that you may know how to behave in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

Even Herod and his soldiers treated him with contempt and made fun of him. He put a magnificent robe on Jesus and sent him back to Pilate.

So the Jewish leaders began persecuting Jesus, because he kept doing such things on the Sabbath.

They got up, forced Jesus out of the city, and led him to the edge of the hill on which their city was built, intending to throw him off.

After this, Jesus traveled throughout Galilee, because he didn't want to travel in Judea, since the Jewish leaders there were trying to kill him.

"I know that you are Abraham's descendants. Yet you are trying to kill me because you've not received what I've told you.

As an expert builder using the grace that God gave me, I laid the foundation, and someone else is building on it. But each person must be careful how he builds on it.

In union with him the whole building is joined together and rises into a holy sanctuary for the Lord.

I tell you that you are Peter, and it is on this rock that I will build my congregation, and the powers of hell will not conquer it.

you, too, as living stones, are building yourselves up into a spiritual house and a holy priesthood, so that you may offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus, the Messiah.

They left Perga and arrived in Antioch in Pisidia. On the Sabbath day, they went into the synagogue and sat down.

Moving on from there, Jesus went into their synagogue.

Then they went to Capernaum. As soon as it was the Sabbaths, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach.

Then Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been raised. As was his custom, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. When he stood up to read,

not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another even more as you see the day of the Lord coming nearer.