Category: Scripture

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Paul’s Work for the Church

“I am glad when I suffer for You in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for His body, the church. God has given me the responsibility of serving His church by proclaiming His entire message to you. This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people.For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing His glory.

So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.” (Colossians 1:24-29, NLT)

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“Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and that I was torn up inside. I was so foolish and arrogant- I must have seemed like a senseless animal to You.

Yet I still belong to You; You hold my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but You? I desire You more than anything on earth.

My health my fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever.

Those who desert Him will perish, for You destroy those who abandon You. But as for me, how good it is to be near God!

I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things You do.” (Psalm 73: vv. 21-28, NLT)

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Living Stones for God’s House

“”You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but He was chosen by God for great honor.

An you are living stones that God’s is building into His spiritual temple. What’s more, you are His holy priests. Through the meditation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.

As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem*(Isaiah 28:16), chosen for great honor, and anyone who trust in Him will never be disgraced.”

Yes, you who trust in Him recognize the honor God has given Him. But for those who reject Him, “The stone that the builder rejected has now become the cornerstone. “

And, “He is the stone that make people stumble, the rock that makes them fall*(Ps 118:22)”.

They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, so they meet the faith that was planned for them.

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation. God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He call you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.

“Once you had not identity as a people; but you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy: now your have relieved God’s mercy.* (Hosea 1:6,9, 2:23)””(1 Peter 2, vv. 4-10, NLT)

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“As for me, I will look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me. Do not gloat over me, my enemies! For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. I will be patient as the Lord punishes me, for I have sinned against Him. But after that, He will take up my case and give me justice for all I have suffered from my enemies. The Lord will bring me into the light and I will see His righteousness.” (vv. 7-9, NLT)

“All the nations of the world will stand amazed at what the Lord will do for you. They will be embarrassed at their feeble power. They will cover their mouths in silent awe, deaf to everything around them.” (v. 16, NLT)

“Where is there another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant overlooking the sins of His special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because You delight in showing unfailing love. Once again You will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under Your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean! You will show us Your faithfulness and unfailing love. as You promised our ancestors Abraham and Jacob long ago.” (vv. 28-20, NLT)

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“…the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what He requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Michael 6: 8 NLT)

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“The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in Him you will have life by the power of His name.” (John 20: 30-31, NLT)

“Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is My command – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord you God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1: 6-9, NLT)

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Lamentations is thought to be written by the Prophet Jeremiah. In Chapter 3, he writes about hope in the Lord’s faithfulness.

“”The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance, therefore, I will hope in Him!”

The Lord is good to those who depend on Him, to those who search for Him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord. “” (Lamentations 3: vv 22-26, NLT)

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The Apostles Accept Paul

“And the leaders of the church had nothing to add to what I was preaching. (By the way, their reputation as great leaders made no difference to me, for God has no favorites.) Instead, they saw that God had given me the responsibility of preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles, just as He had given Peter the responsibility of preaching to the Jews. For the same God who worked through Peter as the apostle to the Jews also worked through me as the apostle to the Gentiles.

In fact, James, Peter and John, who were known as pillars of the church, recognized the gift God and given me, and they accepted Barnabas and me as their co-workers. They encouraged us to keep preaching to the Gentiles while they contained their work with the Jews. Their only suggestion as that we keep on helping the poor, which I have always been eager to do.” (Galatians 2:6-10, NLT)

“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.” (Galatians 2:20-21, NLT)

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“Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who His children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in the glorious freedom from death and decay.

For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be release from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as His adopted children, including the new bodies He promised us. When we were given this hope when we were saved (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently).

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groaning that cannot be expressed words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.

And we know that God causes everything to work together, for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them. For God knew His people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son, so that His Son would be firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, He gave them right standing with Himself. And having given them right standing, He gave them His glory.”

(Romans 8: 18-30, NLT)