And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. If he refuses to listen to the church, treat him like a Gentile or a tax collector.

Great fear gripped the whole church and all who heard about these things.

And Saul agreed completely with killing. Now on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were forced to scatter throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria.

But Saul was trying to destroy the church; entering one house after another, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.

Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria experienced peace and thus was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and in the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, the church increased in numbers.

A report about them came to the attention of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.

and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught a significant number of people. Now it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.

About that time King Herod laid hands on some from the church to harm them.

So Peter was kept in prison, but those in the church were earnestly praying to God for him.

Now there were these prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius the Cyrenian, Manaen (a close friend of Herod the tetrarch from childhood) and Saul.

When they arrived and gathered the church together, they reported all the things God had done with them, and that he had opened a door of faith for the Gentiles.

When Paul and Barnabas had a major argument and debate with them, the church appointed Paul and Barnabas and some others from among them to go up to meet with the apostles and elders in Jerusalem about this point of disagreement.

So they were sent on their way by the church, and as they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, they were relating at length the conversion of the Gentiles and bringing great joy to all the brothers.

When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all the things God had done with them.

Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to send men chosen from among them, Judas called Barsabbas and Silas, leaders among the brothers, to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.

and when he arrived at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church at Jerusalem and then went down to Antioch.

From Miletus he sent a message to Ephesus, telling the elders of the church to come to him.

Watch out for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son.

Now I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea,

Also greet the church in their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.

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

to the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, and called to be saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.

For this reason, I have sent Timothy to you, who is my dear and faithful son in the Lord. He will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.

So if you have ordinary lawsuits, do you appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church?

Do not give offense to Jews or Greeks or to the church of God,

For in the first place, when you come together as a church I hear there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.

Do you not have houses so that you can eat and drink? Or are you trying to show contempt for the church of God by shaming those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I will not praise you for this!

And God has placed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, gifts of healing, helps, gifts of leadership, different kinds of tongues.

The one who speaks in a tongue builds himself up, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.

I wish you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets so that the church may be strengthened.

It is the same with you. Since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, seek to abound in order to strengthen the church.

but in the church I want to speak five words with my mind to instruct others, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.

So if the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and unbelievers or uninformed people enter, will they not say that you have lost your minds?

What should you do then, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each one has a song, has a lesson, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all these things be done for the strengthening of the church.

But if there is no interpreter, he should be silent in the church. Let him speak to himself and to God.

If they want to find out about something, they should ask their husbands at home, because it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in church.

For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

The churches in the province of Asia send greetings to you. Aquila and Prisca greet you warmly in the Lord, with the church that meets in their house.

From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia.

For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I was savagely persecuting the church of God and trying to destroy it.

And God put all things under Christ's feet, and he gave him to the church as head over all things.

Now the church is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

The purpose of this enlightenment is that through the church the multifaceted wisdom of God should now be disclosed to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms.

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

because the husband is the head of the wife as also Christ is the head of the church -- he himself being the savior of the body.

But as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her

so that he may present the church to himself as glorious -- not having a stain or wrinkle, or any such blemish, but holy and blameless.

For no one has ever hated his own body but he feeds it and takes care of it, just as Christ also does the church,

This mystery is great -- but I am actually speaking with reference to Christ and the church.

In my zeal for God I persecuted the church. According to the righteousness stipulated in the law I was blameless.

And as you Philippians know, at the beginning of my gospel ministry, when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in this matter of giving and receiving except you alone.

He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things.

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my physical body -- for the sake of his body, the church -- what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ.

I became a servant of the church according to the stewardship from God -- given to me for you -- in order to complete the word of God,

Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters who are in Laodicea and to Nympha and the church that meets in her house.

And after you have read this letter, have it read to the church of Laodicea. In turn, read the letter from Laodicea as well.

From Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace and peace to you!

From Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

But if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for the church of God?

in case I am delayed, to let you know how people ought to conduct themselves in the household of God, because it is the church of the living God, the support and bulwark of the truth.

If a believing woman has widows in her family, let her help them. The church should not be burdened, so that it may help the widows who are truly in need.

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

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

The church in Babylon, chosen together with you, greets you, and so does Mark, my son.

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

I wrote something to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not acknowledge us.

Therefore, if I come, I will call attention to the deeds he is doing -- the bringing of unjustified charges against us with evil words! And not being content with that, he not only refuses to welcome the brothers himself, but hinders the people who want to do so and throws them out of the church!

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus, write the following: "This is the solemn pronouncement of the one who has a firm grasp on the seven stars in his right hand -- the one who walks among the seven golden lampstands:

"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write the following: "This is the solemn pronouncement of the one who is the first and the last, the one who was dead, but came to life:

"To the angel of the church in Pergamum write the following: "This is the solemn pronouncement of the one who has the sharp double-edged sword:

"To the angel of the church in Thyatira write the following: "This is the solemn pronouncement of the Son of God, the one who has eyes like a fiery flame and whose feet are like polished bronze:

"To the angel of the church in Sardis write the following: "This is the solemn pronouncement of the one who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: 'I know your deeds, that you have a reputation that you are alive, but in reality you are dead.

"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write the following: "This is the solemn pronouncement of the Holy One, the True One, who holds the key of David, who opens doors no one can shut, and shuts doors no one can open:

"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write the following: "This is the solemn pronouncement of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the originator of God's creation:

The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Now we make known to you, brothers and sisters, the grace of God given to the churches of Macedonia,

And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his work in spreading the gospel.

In addition, this brother has also been chosen by the churches as our traveling companion as we administer this generous gift to the glory of the Lord himself and to show our readiness to help.

If there is any question about Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; if there is any question about our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, a glory to Christ.

Therefore show them openly before the churches the proof of your love and of our pride in you.

I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so that I could serve you!

Apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxious concern for all the churches.

For how were you treated worse than the other churches, except that I myself was not a burden to you? Forgive me this injustice!

and all the brothers with me, to the churches of Galatia.

But I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.

For you became imitators, brothers and sisters, of God's churches in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, because you too suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they in fact did from the Jews,

As a result we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and afflictions you are enduring.

From John, to the seven churches that are in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from "he who is," and who was, and who is still to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,

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

The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will permit him to eat from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God.'

The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will in no way be harmed by the second death.'

The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will give him some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and on that stone will be written a new name that no one can understand except the one who receives it.'

Furthermore, I will strike her followers with a deadly disease, and then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts. I will repay each one of you what your deeds deserve.

The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'

The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'

The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'

The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"

"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star!"