Thematic Bible
Thematic Bible
Christian ministers » Charge delivered to
These twelve Jesus sent out as his Messengers, after giving them these instructions-- "Do not go to the Gentiles, nor enter any Samaritan town, But make your way rather to the lost sheep of Israel. And on your way proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. read more.
Cure the sick, raise the dead, make the lepers clean, drive out demons. You have received free of cost, give free of cost. Do not provide yourselves with gold, or silver, or pence in your purses; Not even with a bag for the journey, or a change of clothes, or sandals, or even a staff; for the worker is worth his food. Whatever town or village you visit, find out who is worthy in that place, and remain there till you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. Then, if the house is worthy, let your blessing rest upon it, but, if it is unworthy, let your blessing return upon yourselves. If no one welcomes you, or listens to what you say, as you leave that house or that town, shake off its dust from your feet. I tell you, the doom of the land of Sodom and Gomorrah will be more bearable in the 'Day of Judgment' than the doom of that town. Remember, I am sending you out as my Messengers like sheep among wolves. So be as wise as serpents, and as blameless as doves. Be on your guard against your fellow men, for they will betray you to courts of law, and scourge you in their Synagogues; And you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, that you may witness for me before them and the nations. Whenever they betray you, do not be anxious as to how you shall speak or what you shall say, for what you shall say will be given you at the moment; For it will not be you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaks within you. Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; and children will turn against their parents, and cause them to be put to death; And you will be hated by every one on account of my Name. Yet the man that endures to the end shall be saved. But, when they persecute you in one town, escape to the next; for, I tell you, you will not have come to the end of the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. A scholar is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a scholar to be treated like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Baal-zebub, how much more the members of his household! Do not, therefore, be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed which will not be revealed, nor anything hidden which will not become known. What I tell you in the dark, say again in the light; and what is whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; rather be afraid of him who is able to destroy both soul and body in the Pit. Are not two sparrows sold for a half-penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's knowledge. While as for you, the very hairs of your head are numbered. Do not, therefore, be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. Every one, therefore, who shall acknowledge me before his fellow men, I, too, will acknowledge before my Father who is in Heaven; But, if any one disowns me before his fellow men, I, too, will disown him before my Father who is in Heaven. Do not imagine that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring, not peace, but the sword. For I have come to set--'a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And the man who does not take his cross and follow in my steps is not worthy of me. He who has found his life will lose it, while he who, for my sake, has lost his life shall find it. He who welcomes you is welcoming me; and he who welcomes me is welcoming him who sent me as his Messenger. He who welcomes a Prophet, because he is a Prophet, shall receive a Prophet's reward; and he who welcomes a good man, because he is a good man, shall receive a good man's reward. And, if any one gives but a cup of cold water to one of these lowly ones because he is a disciple, I tell you that he shall assuredly not lose his reward."
Cure the sick, raise the dead, make the lepers clean, drive out demons. You have received free of cost, give free of cost. Do not provide yourselves with gold, or silver, or pence in your purses; Not even with a bag for the journey, or a change of clothes, or sandals, or even a staff; for the worker is worth his food. Whatever town or village you visit, find out who is worthy in that place, and remain there till you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. Then, if the house is worthy, let your blessing rest upon it, but, if it is unworthy, let your blessing return upon yourselves. If no one welcomes you, or listens to what you say, as you leave that house or that town, shake off its dust from your feet. I tell you, the doom of the land of Sodom and Gomorrah will be more bearable in the 'Day of Judgment' than the doom of that town. Remember, I am sending you out as my Messengers like sheep among wolves. So be as wise as serpents, and as blameless as doves. Be on your guard against your fellow men, for they will betray you to courts of law, and scourge you in their Synagogues; And you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, that you may witness for me before them and the nations. Whenever they betray you, do not be anxious as to how you shall speak or what you shall say, for what you shall say will be given you at the moment; For it will not be you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaks within you. Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; and children will turn against their parents, and cause them to be put to death; And you will be hated by every one on account of my Name. Yet the man that endures to the end shall be saved. But, when they persecute you in one town, escape to the next; for, I tell you, you will not have come to the end of the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. A scholar is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a scholar to be treated like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Baal-zebub, how much more the members of his household! Do not, therefore, be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed which will not be revealed, nor anything hidden which will not become known. What I tell you in the dark, say again in the light; and what is whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; rather be afraid of him who is able to destroy both soul and body in the Pit. Are not two sparrows sold for a half-penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's knowledge. While as for you, the very hairs of your head are numbered. Do not, therefore, be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. Every one, therefore, who shall acknowledge me before his fellow men, I, too, will acknowledge before my Father who is in Heaven; But, if any one disowns me before his fellow men, I, too, will disown him before my Father who is in Heaven. Do not imagine that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring, not peace, but the sword. For I have come to set--'a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And the man who does not take his cross and follow in my steps is not worthy of me. He who has found his life will lose it, while he who, for my sake, has lost his life shall find it. He who welcomes you is welcoming me; and he who welcomes me is welcoming him who sent me as his Messenger. He who welcomes a Prophet, because he is a Prophet, shall receive a Prophet's reward; and he who welcomes a good man, because he is a good man, shall receive a good man's reward. And, if any one gives but a cup of cold water to one of these lowly ones because he is a disciple, I tell you that he shall assuredly not lose his reward."
And if a place does not welcome you, or listen to you, as you go out of it shake off the dust that is on the soles of your feet, as a protest against them."
Verse Concepts
After this, the Master appointed seventy-two other disciples, and sent them on as his Messengers, two and two, in advance, to every town and place that he was himself intending to visit. "The harvest," he said, "is abundant, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray to the Owner of the harvest to send laborers to gather in his harvest. Now, go. Remember, I am sending you out as my Messengers like lambs among wolves. read more.
Do not take a purse with you, or a bag, or sandals; and do not stop to greet any one on your journey. Whatever house you go to stay at, begin by praying for a blessing on it. Then, if any one there is deserving of a blessing, your blessing will rest upon him; but if not, it will come back upon yourselves. Remain at that same house, and eat and drink whatever they offer you; for the worker is worth his wages. Do not keep changing from one house to another. Whatever town you visit, if the people welcome you, eat what is set before you; Cure the sick there, and tell people 'The Kingdom of God is close at hand. But, whatever town you go to visit, if the people do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say 'We wipe off the very dust of your town which has clung to Our feet; still, be assured that the Kingdom of God is close at Hand.' I tell you that the doom of Sodom will be more bearable on 'That Day' than the doom of that town. Alas for you, Chorazin! Alas for you, Bethsaida! For, if the Miracles which have been done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have sat in sackcloth and ashes and repented long ago. Yet the doom of Tyre and Sidon will be more bearable at the Judgment than yours. And you, Capernaum! Will you 'exalt yourself to heaven'? 'You shall go down to the Place of Death.' He who listens to you is listening to me, and he who rejects you is rejecting me; while he who rejects me is rejecting him who sent me as his Messenger."
Do not take a purse with you, or a bag, or sandals; and do not stop to greet any one on your journey. Whatever house you go to stay at, begin by praying for a blessing on it. Then, if any one there is deserving of a blessing, your blessing will rest upon him; but if not, it will come back upon yourselves. Remain at that same house, and eat and drink whatever they offer you; for the worker is worth his wages. Do not keep changing from one house to another. Whatever town you visit, if the people welcome you, eat what is set before you; Cure the sick there, and tell people 'The Kingdom of God is close at hand. But, whatever town you go to visit, if the people do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say 'We wipe off the very dust of your town which has clung to Our feet; still, be assured that the Kingdom of God is close at Hand.' I tell you that the doom of Sodom will be more bearable on 'That Day' than the doom of that town. Alas for you, Chorazin! Alas for you, Bethsaida! For, if the Miracles which have been done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have sat in sackcloth and ashes and repented long ago. Yet the doom of Tyre and Sidon will be more bearable at the Judgment than yours. And you, Capernaum! Will you 'exalt yourself to heaven'? 'You shall go down to the Place of Death.' He who listens to you is listening to me, and he who rejects you is rejecting me; while he who rejects me is rejecting him who sent me as his Messenger."
This, then, is the charge that I lay upon you, Timothy, my Child, in accordance with what was predicted of you--Fight the good fight in the spirit of those predictions, with faith, and with a clear conscience; and it is because they have thrust this aside, that, as regards the Faith, some have wrecked their lives. Hymenaeus and Alexander are instances--the men whom I delivered over to Satan, that they might be taught not to blaspheme.
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Do not reprimand an older man, but plead with him as if he were your father. Treat the young men as brothers, the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters--with all purity. Show consideration for widows--I mean those who are really widowed. read more.
but, if a widow has children or grand-children, let them learn to show proper regard for the members of their own family first, and to make some return to their parents; for that is pleasing in God's sight. As for the woman who is really widowed and left quite alone, her hopes are fixed on God, and she devotes herself to prayers and supplications night and day. But the life of a widow who is devoted to pleasure is a living death. Those are the points on which you should dwell, that there may be no call for your censure. Any one who fails to provide for his own relations, and especially for those under his own roof, has disowned the Faith, and is worse than an unbeliever. A widow, when her name is added to the list, should not be less than sixty years old; she should have been a faithful wife, and be well spoken of for her kind actions. She should have brought up children, have shown hospitality to strangers, have washed the feet of her fellow Christians, have relieved those who were in distress, and devoted herself to every kind of good action. But you should exclude the younger widows from the list; for, when they grow restive under the yoke of the Christ, they want to marry, and so they bring condemnation upon themselves for having broken their previous promise. And not only that, but they learn to be idle as they go about from house to house. Nor are they merely idle, but they also become gossips and busy-bodies, and talk of what they ought not. Therefore I advise young widows to marry, bear children, and attend to their homes, and so avoid giving the enemy an opportunity for scandal. There are some who have already left us, to follow Satan. Any Christian woman, who has relations who are widows, ought to relieve them and not allow them to become a burden to the Church, so that the Church may relieve those widows who are really widowed. Those Officers of the Church who fill their office well should be held deserving of especial consideration, particularly those whose work lies in preaching and teaching. The words of Scripture are-- 'Thou shalt not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain.' and again-- 'The worker is worth his wages.' Do not receive a charge against an Officer of the Church, unless it is supported by two or three witnesses; but rebuke offenders publicly, so that others may take warning. I charge you solemnly, before God and Christ Jesus and the Chosen Angels, to carry out these directions, unswayed by prejudice, never acting with partiality. Never ordain any one hastily, and take no part in the wrong-doing of others. Keep your life pure.
but, if a widow has children or grand-children, let them learn to show proper regard for the members of their own family first, and to make some return to their parents; for that is pleasing in God's sight. As for the woman who is really widowed and left quite alone, her hopes are fixed on God, and she devotes herself to prayers and supplications night and day. But the life of a widow who is devoted to pleasure is a living death. Those are the points on which you should dwell, that there may be no call for your censure. Any one who fails to provide for his own relations, and especially for those under his own roof, has disowned the Faith, and is worse than an unbeliever. A widow, when her name is added to the list, should not be less than sixty years old; she should have been a faithful wife, and be well spoken of for her kind actions. She should have brought up children, have shown hospitality to strangers, have washed the feet of her fellow Christians, have relieved those who were in distress, and devoted herself to every kind of good action. But you should exclude the younger widows from the list; for, when they grow restive under the yoke of the Christ, they want to marry, and so they bring condemnation upon themselves for having broken their previous promise. And not only that, but they learn to be idle as they go about from house to house. Nor are they merely idle, but they also become gossips and busy-bodies, and talk of what they ought not. Therefore I advise young widows to marry, bear children, and attend to their homes, and so avoid giving the enemy an opportunity for scandal. There are some who have already left us, to follow Satan. Any Christian woman, who has relations who are widows, ought to relieve them and not allow them to become a burden to the Church, so that the Church may relieve those widows who are really widowed. Those Officers of the Church who fill their office well should be held deserving of especial consideration, particularly those whose work lies in preaching and teaching. The words of Scripture are-- 'Thou shalt not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain.' and again-- 'The worker is worth his wages.' Do not receive a charge against an Officer of the Church, unless it is supported by two or three witnesses; but rebuke offenders publicly, so that others may take warning. I charge you solemnly, before God and Christ Jesus and the Chosen Angels, to carry out these directions, unswayed by prejudice, never acting with partiality. Never ordain any one hastily, and take no part in the wrong-doing of others. Keep your life pure.
And that is my reason for reminding you to stir into flame that gift of God, which is yours through your ordination at my hands. For the Spirit which God gave us was not a spirit of cowardice, but a spirit of power, love, and self-control. Do not, therefore, be ashamed of the testimony which we have to bear to our Lord, nor yet of me who am a prisoner for him; but join with me in suffering for the Good News, as far as God enables you. read more.
It was God who saved us, and from him we received our solemn Call--not as a reward for anything that we had done, but in fulfillment of his own loving purpose. For that love was extended to us, through Christ Jesus, before time began, and has now been made apparent through the Appearing of our Saviour, Christ Jesus; who has made an end of Death, and has brought Life and Immortality to light by that Good News, of which I was myself appointed a Herald and Apostle, and Teacher. That is why I am undergoing these sufferings; yet I feel no shame, for I know in whom I have put my faith, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until 'That Day.' Keep before you, as an example of sound teaching, all that you learnt from me as you listened with that faith and love which come from union with Christ Jesus.
It was God who saved us, and from him we received our solemn Call--not as a reward for anything that we had done, but in fulfillment of his own loving purpose. For that love was extended to us, through Christ Jesus, before time began, and has now been made apparent through the Appearing of our Saviour, Christ Jesus; who has made an end of Death, and has brought Life and Immortality to light by that Good News, of which I was myself appointed a Herald and Apostle, and Teacher. That is why I am undergoing these sufferings; yet I feel no shame, for I know in whom I have put my faith, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until 'That Day.' Keep before you, as an example of sound teaching, all that you learnt from me as you listened with that faith and love which come from union with Christ Jesus.
I solemnly charge you, in the sight of God and of Christ Jesus, who will one day judge the living and the dead--I charge you by his Appearing and by his Kingdom:-- Proclaim the Message, be ready in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, encourage, never failing to instruct with forbearance. For a time will come when people will not tolerate sound teaching. They will follow their own wishes, and, in their itching for novelty, procure themselves a crowd of teachers. read more.
They will turn a deaf ear to the Truth, and give their attention to legends instead. But you, Timothy, must always be temperate. Face hardships; do the work of a Missionary; discharge all the duties of your Office. As for me, my life blood is already being poured out; the time of my departure is close at hand. I have run the great Race; I have finished the Course; I have kept the Faith. And now the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just Judge, will give me on 'That Day'--and not only to me, but to all who have loved his Appearing.
They will turn a deaf ear to the Truth, and give their attention to legends instead. But you, Timothy, must always be temperate. Face hardships; do the work of a Missionary; discharge all the duties of your Office. As for me, my life blood is already being poured out; the time of my departure is close at hand. I have run the great Race; I have finished the Course; I have kept the Faith. And now the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just Judge, will give me on 'That Day'--and not only to me, but to all who have loved his Appearing.
death » Scenes of » Death of paul
As for me, my life blood is already being poured out; the time of my departure is close at hand. I have run the great Race; I have finished the Course; I have kept the Faith. And now the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just Judge, will give me on 'That Day'--and not only to me, but to all who have loved his Appearing.
Sacrifices » Illustrative of » Martyrdom
But impoverished himself by taking the nature of a servant and becoming like men;
Verse Concepts
As for me, my life blood is already being poured out; the time of my departure is close at hand.
Verse Concepts