Take care of yourselves and of the whole flock, of which the holy Spirit has made you guardians, and be shepherds of the church of God, which he got at the cost of his own life.

Will not he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, with that gift give us everything?

but when the proper time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, and made subject to law,

Take care that nobody exploits you through the pretensions of philosophy, guided by human tradition, following material ways of looking at things, instead of following Christ.

For both he who purifies them and they who are purified spring from one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, and say, "I will tell your name to my brothers, In the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise"; read more. and again "I will put my trust in God"; and again, "Here I am with the children that God has given me." Therefore since these children referred to have the same mortal nature, Jesus also shared it, like them, in order that by his death he might dethrone the lord of death, the devil,

Then Jesus was guided by the Spirit into the desert, to be tempted by the devil. And he fasted forty days and nights, and after it he was famished.

And he fasted forty days and nights, and after it he was famished. And the tempter came up and said to him, "If you are God's son, tell these stones to turn into bread!" read more. But he answered, "The Scripture says, 'Not on bread alone is man to live, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God!' " Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the summit of the Temple, and said to him, "If you are God's son, throw yourself down, for the Scripture says, " 'He will give his angels orders about you, And they will lift you up with their hands So that you may never strike your foot against a stone!' " Jesus said to him, "The Scripture also says, 'You shall not try the Lord your God.' " Again the devil took him to a very high mountain, and he showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor, and said to him, "I will give all this to you, if you will fall on your knees and do homage to me." Then Jesus said to him, "Begone, Satan! For the Scripture says, 'You must do homage to the Lord your God, and worship him alone!' " Then the devil left him, and angels came and waited on him.

Some people came bringing to him on a bed a man who was paralyzed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, "Courage, my son! Your sins are forgiven." Some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is talking blasphemy!" read more. Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he said, "Why do you have such wicked thoughts in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? But I would have you know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth." Then he said to the paralytic, "Get up, pick up your bed and go home!"

Everything has been handed over to me by my Father, and no one understands the Son but the Father, nor does anyone understand the Father but the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

Is he not the carpenter's son? Is not his mother named Mary, and are not his brothers named James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?

As he spoke a bright cloud overshadowed them and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, my Beloved. He is my Chosen. Listen to him!"

And Jesus came up to them and said, "Full authority in heaven and on the earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all the heathen, baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the holy Spirit, read more. and teach them to observe all the commands that I have given you. I will always be with you, to the very close of the age."

He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him up and said to him, "Master, does it make no difference to you that we are sinking?"

And he wondered at their want of faith. Then he went around among the villages teaching.

But he said to them, "How many loaves have you? Go and see." They looked, and told him. "Five, and two fish."

He said to her, "If you can say that, go home; the demon has left your daughter."

"I pity these people, for they have been staying with me three days now, and they have nothing left to eat.

And he sighed deeply and said, "Why do the men of this day ask for a sign? I tell you, no sign will be given them."

Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?" And he said,

When Jesus saw it, he was indignant, and said to them, "Let the children come to me; do not try to stop them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as they.

And he took Peter, James, and John along with him, and he began to feel distress and dread,

But Jesus said, "I am! and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Almighty and coming in the clouds of the sky!" Then the high priest tore his clothing, and said, "What do we want of witnesses now?

And he said to them, "Go to the whole world and proclaim the good news to all the creation. He who believes it and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe it will be condemned. read more. And signs like these will attend those who believe: with my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in foreign tongues; they will take snakes in their hands, and if they drink poison it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will get well."

As Jesus grew older he gained in wisdom and won the approval of God and men.

and the holy Spirit came down upon him in the material shape of a dove, and there came a voice from heaven, "You are my Son, my Beloved! You are my Chosen!"

When Jesus heard this, he was astonished at him, and turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such faith as this even in Israel!"

And when the Master saw her, he pitied her, and said to her, "Do not weep."

At that moment he was inspired with joy, and said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding all this from the learned and intelligent, and revealing it to children! Yes, I thank you, Father, for choosing to have it so!

But it is you who have stood by me in my trials.

Then he said to them, "This is what I told you when I was still with you??hat everything that is written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must come true." Then he opened their minds to the understanding of the Scriptures, read more. and said to them, "The Scriptures said that Christ should suffer as he has done, and rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance leading to the forgiveness of sins should be preached to all the heathen in his name. You are to be witnesses to all this, beginning at Jerusalem.

and Jacob's spring was there. So Jesus, tired with his journey, sat down just as he was by the spring. It was about noon.

And he who has sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him."

When Jesus saw her weep and the Jews who had come with her weeping too, repressing a groan, and yet showing great agitation, he said, "Where have you laid him?" They answered, "Come and see, Master."

Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you, Philip, have not recognized me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Let us see the Father'?

After that, Jesus, knowing that everything was now finished, to fulfil the saying of Scripture, said, "I am thirsty."

though he did not fail to give some evidence about himself, through his kindnesses to you, in sending you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, giving you food and happiness to your heart's content."

Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible nature??is eternal power and divine character??ave been clearly perceptible through what he has made. So they have no excuse,

and in arranging, when the time should have fully come, that everything in heaven and on earth should be unified in Christ??11 the Christ through whom it is our lot to have been predestined by the design of him who in everything carries out the purpose of his will,

by whom we have been ransomed from captivity through having our sins forgiven.

but in these latter days he has spoken to us in a Son, whom he had destined to possess everything, and through whom he had made the world.

For it was appropriate that he who is the great First Cause of the universe should, in guiding his many children to his glorious salvation, make their leader in it fully qualified through what he suffered.

for then he would have had to suffer death over and over, ever since the creation of the world. But, as it is, once for all at the close of the age he has appeared, to put an end to sin by his sacrifice.