And great fear seized the whole church and everyone else who heard about this.

Now Saul heartily approved of putting Stephen to death. That day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and everyone except for the apostles was scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria.

But Saul kept trying to destroy the church. Going into one house after another, he began dragging off men and women and throwing them in prison.

So the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria enjoyed peace. As it continued to be built up and to live in the fear of the Lord, it kept increasing in numbers through the encouragement of the Holy Spirit.

When the church in Jerusalem heard this news, they sent Barnabas all the way to Antioch.

When he found him, he brought him to Antioch, and for a whole year they were guests of the church and taught many people. It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.

About that time, Herod arrested some people who belonged to the church and mistreated them.

Now Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius from Cyrene, Manaen, who grew up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul were prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch.

Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church, and with prayer and fasting they entrusted them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

When they arrived, they called the church together and told them everything that God had done with them and how he had opened a door so that gentiles would believe.

They were sent on their way by the church, and as they were going through Phoenicia and Samaria they told of the conversion of the gentiles and brought great joy to all the brothers.

When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported everything that God had done through them.

Then the apostles, the elders, and the whole church decided to choose some of their men to send with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch. These were Judas, who was called Barsabbas, and Silas, who were leaders among the brothers.

When he arrived in Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem, greeted the church there, and then returned to Antioch.

From Miletus he sent messengers to Ephesus to ask the elders of the church to meet with him.

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.

Now I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deaconess in the church at Cenchrea.

Greet also the church in their house. Greet my dear friend Epaenetus, who was the first convert to the Messiah in Asia.

Gaius, who is host to me and the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus greet you.

To: God's church in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified by the Messiah Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah their Lord and ours.

That's why I sent Timothy to you. He is my dear and dependable son in the Lord and will help you remember how I live for the Messiah Jesus as I teach everywhere in every church.

So if you have cases dealing with this life, why do you appoint as judges people who have no standing in the church?

Don't become a stumbling block to Jews or Greeks or to the church of God,

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

You have homes in which to eat and drink, don't you? Or do you despise God's church and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I will not praise you for this!

God has appointed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then those who perform miracles, those who have gifts of healing, those who help others, administrators, and those who speak various kinds of languages.

The person who speaks in a foreign language builds himself up, but the person who prophesies builds up the church.

Now I wish that all of you could speak in foreign languages, but especially that you could prophesy. The person who prophesies is more important than the person who speaks in a foreign language, unless he interprets it so that the church may be built up.

In the same way, since you're so desirous of spiritual gifts, you must keep on desiring them for building up the church.

But in church I would rather speak five words with my mind to instruct others than 10,000 words in a foreign language.

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?

If an interpreter is not present, the speaker should remain silent in the church and speak to himself and God.

If they want to learn anything, they should ask their own husbands at home, for it is inappropriate for a woman to speak out in church.

For I am the least of the apostles and not even fit to be called an apostle because I persecuted God's church.

The churches in Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca and the church in their house greet you warmly in union with the Lord.

From: Paul, an apostle of the Messiah Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother. To: God's church in Corinth, and to all the holy people throughout Achaia.

For you have heard about my earlier life in Judaism how I kept violently persecuting God's church and was trying to destroy it.

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

He did this so that now, through the church, the wisdom of God in all its variety might be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realm

to him be glory in the church and in the Messiah Jesus to all generations, forever and ever! Amen.

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.

Indeed, just as the church is submissive to the Messiah, so wives must be submissive to their husbands in everything.

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

and might present the church to himself in all its glory, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind, but holy and without fault.

For no one has ever hated his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, as the Messiah does the church.

This is a great secret, but I am talking about the Messiah and the church.

As for my zeal, I was a persecutor of the church. As far as righteousness in the Law is concerned, I was blameless.

You Philippians also know that in the early days of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church participated with me in the matter of giving and receiving except for 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.

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.

Give my greetings to the brothers in Laodicea, especially to Nympha and the church that is in her house.

When this letter has been read among you, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and be sure to read the one from Laodicea.

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!

From: Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy. To: The church of the Thessalonians in union with God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah.

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

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.

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.

2to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house.

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.

Your sister church in Babylon, chosen along with you, sends you greetings, as does Mark, whom I regard as a son.

They have testified before the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God.

I wrote a letter to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be in charge, will not recognize our authority.

For this reason, when I come I will call attention to what he is doing in spreading false charges against us. And not content with that, he refuses to receive the brothers. He even tries to stop those who want to accept them and throws them out of the church.

"To the messenger of the church in Ephesus, write: "The one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lamp stands, says this:

"To the messenger of the church in Smyrna, write: "The first and the last, who was dead and became alive, says this:

"To the messenger of the church in Pergamum, write: "The one who holds the sharp, two-edged sword, says this:

"To the messenger of the church in Thyatira, write: "The Son of God, whose eyes are like flaming fire and whose feet are like glowing bronze, says this:

"To the messenger of the church in Sardis, write: "The one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says this:

"To the messenger of the church in Philadelphia, write: "The one who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens a door that no one can shut, and who shuts a door that no one can open, "says this:

"To the messenger of the church in Laodicea, write: "The Amen, the witness who is faithful and true, the originator of God's creation, says this:

As in all the churches of the saints, the women must keep silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak out, but must place themselves in submission, as the oral law also says.

The secret meaning of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lamp stands is this: the seven stars are the messengers of the seven churches, and the seven lamp stands are the seven churches."

He went through Syria and Cilicia and strengthened the churches.

So the churches continued to be strengthened in the faith and to increase in numbers every day.

and who risked their necks for my life. I am thankful to them, and so are all the churches among the gentiles.

Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of the Messiah greet 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.

But if anyone wants to argue about this, we do not have any custom like this, nor do any of God's churches.

Now concerning the collection for the saints, you should follow the directions I gave to the churches in Galatia.

We want you to know, brothers, about God's grace that was given to the churches of Macedonia.

With him we have sent the brother who is praised in all the churches for spreading the gospel.

More than that, he has also been selected by the churches to travel with us while we are administering this work of kindness for the glory of the Lord and as evidence of our eagerness to help.

As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker on your behalf. Our brothers, emissaries from the churches, are bringing glory to the Messiah.

Therefore, demonstrate to the churches that you love them and show them publicly why we boast about you.

I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you.

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

How were you treated worse than the other churches, except that I did not bother you for help? Forgive me for this wrong!

and all the brothers who are with me. To: The churches in Galatia.

But the churches of the Messiah that are in Judea did not yet know me personally.

For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Judea that are in union with the Messiah Jesus. You suffered the same persecutions from the people of your own country as they did from those Jews

As a result, we rejoice about you among God's churches about your endurance and faith through all the persecutions and afflictions you are experiencing.

From John to the seven churches in Asia. May grace and peace be yours from the one who is, who was, and who is coming, from the seven spirits who are in front of his throne,

saying, "Write on a scroll what you see, and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea."

"Let everyone listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To everyone who conquers I will give the privilege of eating from the tree of life that is in God's paradise.'"

"Let everyone listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will never be hurt by the second death.'"

"Let everyone listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone. On the white stone is written a new name that no one knows except the person who receives it.'"

I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts. I will reward each of you as your actions deserve.

"Let everyone listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.'"

"Let everyone listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.'"

"Let everyone listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.'"