Paul

Road to Damascus, letters in hand to arrest anyone who belonged to the Way. A light from heaven. I hit the ground. “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

Replying to @paul

Asked who he was. He said he was Jesus. The one I was persecuting.

Replying to @paul

Got up blind. They led me into Damascus by the hand. Three days, no food, no water.

Word got to me that they were watching the city gates day and night so they could kill me. So the believers put me in a basket one night and lowered me over the wall.

Told them the story from Egypt to David. God said he’d found in David, Jesse’s son, a man after his own heart.

Samuel@samuelThat was foolish. You didn’t keep the LORD’s command. Your kingdom could have lasted for ever. Now it won’t. The LORD has already found a man after his own heart.

Forgiveness for your sins is on offer, through Jesus. Anyone who believes in him is made right with God, which the law of Moses could never do.

People, what are you doing? We’re only human, same as you! We’re here to tell you to turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the sky and the earth and the sea. He’s never left you without evidence of himself: rain, harvests, food, and joy.

The crowds@thecrowdsThe gods have come down to us looking like men!

Barnabas and I went back through every town on the way home, Lystra included, telling the believers to keep going. We have to go through a lot of hard times to enter God’s kingdom.

Luke@luke · LystraThen men arrive from Antioch and Iconium and win the crowd over. The same crowd stones Paul and drags him out of town, thinking he’s dead. The believers gather round him. He gets up and walks back into the city.

Next morning they send word we can leave quietly. No. They beat us in public without a trial, and we’re Roman citizens. Now they want us out on the quiet? They can come and walk us out themselves.

Waiting for the others in Athens. The whole city is full of idols. It’s eating at me.

People of Athens, I can see you’re very religious. Walking round, I even found an altar with the words “To an unknown god”. What you worship without knowing, I’m here to tell you about.

He’s not far from any of us. In him we live and move and exist. Even some of your own poets have said it: we’re his children.

The Lord spoke to me in a vision one night. Told me not to be afraid. Keep speaking, don’t go quiet. He’s with me, and he has a lot of people in this city. So I stayed a year and a half.

Asked some followers in Ephesus if they’d received the Holy Spirit when they believed. They’d never even heard there was a Holy Spirit. They’d only had John’s baptism. So they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus, I put my hands on them, and the Holy Spirit came on them.

My life isn’t worth anything to me, if I can just finish the race and the job the Lord Jesus gave me: telling people the good news of God’s kindness.

Remember the words of the Lord Jesus himself: it’s more blessed to give than to receive.

Why are you all crying and breaking my heart? I’m ready not just to be tied up but to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.

Agabus@agabus · CaesareaTook Paul’s belt and tied up my own hands and feet with it. The Holy Spirit says: the owner of this belt will be tied up like this in Jerusalem.

I was standing right there. Holding their coats. Approving.

Luke@luke · JerusalemThey cover their ears, yell and rush at him. They drag him out of the city and stone him. The witnesses leave their coats at the feet of a young man called Saul.

The high priest had me struck on the mouth, and I told him God would strike him, the whitewashed wall. Then someone asked if I was really insulting God’s high priest. I didn’t know he was the high priest, brothers. Scripture says don’t speak badly of your people’s ruler.

That night the Lord stood beside me. Told me to be brave. I’d told people about him in Jerusalem, and I have to do the same in Rome.

Replying to @tertullus

Here’s what I will admit: I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way. The thing you call a sect.

If I’ve done anything that deserves death, I won’t try to escape it. But if their charges aren’t true, nobody has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar.

Replying to @governorfestus

I’m not mad. What I said is true and sensible. The king knows about all this. None of it happened in a corner.

Short time or long, I pray to God that he and everyone in that room become what I am. Except for these chains.

King Agrippa@kingagrippa · CaesareaI asked him: does he really think he can make me a Christian in so short a time?

You should have listened to me and not sailed from Crete. But keep your spirits up. Not one of you will lose your life, only the ship. Last night an angel of the God I belong to stood beside me and told me not to be afraid. I have to stand before Caesar. I believe God.

Hi Rome. Paul here. We haven’t met. I’ve planned to come to you so many times, and something has always stopped me. I pray about it constantly. I really, really want to see you.

I’m not ashamed of the good news. Not even a bit. It’s God’s power to rescue everyone who believes. Jewish people first, and Greeks too.

Nobody can say they didn’t know. Ever since the world was made, what God is like, his eternal power and who he is, has been plain to see in the things he made. No excuses.

What people turn into when they push God out: greedy, envious, violent, lying, gossiping, arrogant, boastful, disobedient to their parents, faithless, heartless, merciless. It’s a long list.

And if you read that list feeling pleased with yourself: when you judge someone else, you condemn yourself, because you do the same things.

Paul@paulWhat people turn into when they push God out: greedy, envious, violent, lying, gossiping, arrogant, boastful, disobedient to their parents, faithless, heartless, merciless. It’s a long list.

Or are you taking God’s kindness and patience for granted? His kindness is meant to lead you to turn back to him.

No one is right with God. Not even one. Everyone has sinned and falls short of God’s glory. Everyone.

That’s David, in the psalms. Nobody does good. Not one person.

David@davidOnly a fool tells himself there's no God.

But here’s the news. God puts people right with him through faith in Jesus Christ, for everyone who believes. No difference. We’re put right freely, as a gift, by his kindness, through Christ Jesus, who sets us free.

So who gets to brag? Nobody. There’s no room for it at all.

Abraham believed God, and God counted that as making him right with him. He was about a hundred. Sarah was long past having children. And he didn’t waver. He was fully convinced God could do what he’d promised.

David says the same. How happy are the people whose wrongs are forgiven and whose sins are covered over.

David@davidWhen I kept quiet about what I'd done, I wasted away. Groaning all day. Your hand heavy on me day and night. Then I owned up. Stopped hiding it. And you forgave me. All of it.

And “it was counted to him” wasn’t written for Abraham alone. It was written for us too, who believe in the God who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

Moses@mosesAbram believes the LORD, and the LORD counts that as making him right with God. One sentence. People are still quoting it.

So now that we’ve been put right with God by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We’re even glad of our troubles. Trouble produces endurance. Endurance produces character. Character produces hope. And that hope won’t let us down, because God has poured his love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

Hardly anyone would die for a good person. Maybe someone might dare to. But this is how God shows his love for us: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Sin came into the world through one man, Adam, and death came through sin. Through one man’s disobedience, many were made sinners. Through one man’s obedience, many will be made right with God.

Death ruled from Adam right through to Moses. And Adam was a pattern of the one who was coming.

Adam@adamThen the hard words. Thorns and thistles. Sweat for every meal, until I go back to the ground I came from. He said I’m dust, and I’ll go back to dust.

Someone’s going to say it: if more sin means more of God’s kindness, why not keep on sinning? Absolutely not. We died to sin. How can we go on living in it?

Sin pays a wage, and the wage is death. But God’s gift is free: eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Honest post. I don’t understand what I do. What I want to do, I don’t do. What I hate, I do. The good I want, I don’t do. The evil I don’t want, I keep on doing.

Replying to @paul

What a miserable man I am. Who’s going to rescue me from this body that’s heading for death? Thank God: Jesus Christ our Lord.

So now there’s no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. None.

Paul@paulWhat a miserable man I am. Who’s going to rescue me from this body that’s heading for death? Thank God: Jesus Christ our Lord.

You didn’t receive a spirit that makes you a slave to fear again. You received the Spirit who makes you God’s children, and by him we call out, “Abba, Father”, the way a child calls for their dad.

I reckon what we suffer now isn’t worth comparing with the glory that’s going to be shown in us.

The whole of creation has been groaning, like a woman in labour, right up to now. And so do we, waiting.

When we don’t know what we ought to pray, the Spirit himself prays for us, with groans too deep for words.

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

If God is for us, who can be against us? He didn’t spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. So won’t he give us everything else along with him?

What can separate us from the love of Christ? Trouble? Hardship? Persecution? Hunger? Danger? The sword? No. I’m convinced: not death, not life, not angels, not rulers, not what’s happening now, not what’s coming, not any power, not height, not depth, not anything else in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I’m telling the truth, and my conscience backs me up: I have great sorrow and constant pain in my heart for my own people. I could almost wish I were cut off from Christ myself, if it would help them.

But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Does the clay say to the potter, “Why did you make me like this?”

Scripture says the word is right there with you, in your mouth and in your heart. That’s the message about faith we’re telling people.

Moses@mosesIt isn’t too hard for you, and it isn’t out of reach. It’s not up in the sky or across the sea. It’s right here. In your mouth and in your heart.

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

There’s no difference between Jew and Greek. The same Lord is Lord of everyone, and generous to everyone who calls on him. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

But how can they call on someone they haven’t believed in? How can they believe in someone they haven’t heard of? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? Scripture says it: the feet of people bringing good news are a beautiful sight.

So has God rejected his people? Absolutely not. I’m an Israelite myself, from the tribe of Benjamin.

If you’re not Jewish: you’re a wild olive branch grafted into the tree. Don’t get proud about it. You don’t hold up the root. The root holds you up.

How deep God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge go! You can’t get to the bottom of his decisions. You can’t trace how he works.

So, because God’s been so merciful: offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. Don’t let this world squeeze you into its shape. Let God transform you by renewing your mind.

Don’t think of yourself more highly than you should. We’re one body with many parts, and each of us belongs to all the others.

Love, the short version: 1. Mean it. 2. Hate what’s evil. Hold on to what’s good. 3. Try to outdo each other in showing honour. 4. Celebrate with people who are celebrating. Cry with people who are crying. 5. Bless the people who persecute you. 6. As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Don’t take revenge, friends. Leave room for God’s anger. The Lord says it himself: revenge is his job, and he’ll pay it back.

Moses@mosesThe LORD says getting even is his job, and he’ll repay. And that he’s the one who wounds and the one who heals.

If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he’s thirsty, give him a drink. Don’t be overcome by evil. Overcome evil with good.

That one’s straight from Proverbs.

Solomon@solomonIf your enemy's hungry, feed him. If he's thirsty, give him a drink. You'll heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you.

Everyone must submit to the governing authorities. There’s no authority except from God, and the ones that exist have been put there by God.

Don’t commit adultery, don’t murder, don’t steal, don’t covet: every one of them is summed up in one line. “Love your neighbour as yourself.”

Moses@mosesSame part, from the LORD: no revenge, no grudges. Love your neighbour as yourself. And he signs it “I am the LORD.”

Don’t owe anyone anything, except to love each other. Love does no harm to its neighbour. So love is the fulfilment of the law.

One person’s faith lets them eat anything. Another only eats vegetables. The one who eats everything shouldn’t look down on the one who doesn’t, and the one who doesn’t shouldn’t judge the one who does. God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant?

So let’s stop judging each other.

Paul@paulOne person’s faith lets them eat anything. Another only eats vegetables. The one who eats everything shouldn’t look down on the one who doesn’t, and the one who doesn’t shouldn’t judge the one who does. God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant?

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you.

Praying the God of hope fills you with all joy and peace as you trust him, so you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The plan: first Jerusalem, taking the gift the believers in Macedonia and Achaia have collected for the poor there. Then Spain. And I’ll see you on the way. Finally.

Replying to @paul

Pray for me on this one. That I’m kept safe from the people in Judea who don’t believe, and that the believers in Jerusalem welcome what I’m bringing. Then I can come to you, glad, and get some rest with you.

Say hello to Priscilla and Aquila for me. They put their necks on the line to save my life. I’m not the only one who’s grateful. So are all the non-Jewish churches.

Aquila@aquila · CorinthClaudius threw all the Jews out of Rome, so Priscilla and I ended up in Corinth. Then Paul turned up. Tentmaker, same as us. He’s staying with us and working with us.

Writing to the church in Corinth, from Ephesus. Our brother Sosthenes is sending it with me. I always thank God for you. You’ve been made rich in every way: in how you speak, in what you know. You’re not short of a single gift.

Aquila@aquila · CorinthClaudius threw all the Jews out of Rome, so Priscilla and I ended up in Corinth. Then Paul turned up. Tentmaker, same as us. He’s staying with us and working with us.

Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptised in Paul’s name? Please. Agree with each other. No more splits.

Someone from Chloe’s household@chloes.people · CorinthNot to stir anything, but we’ve told Paul what’s going on in the church. The quarrels. Everyone’s picked a side.

Replying to @paul

Honestly, I’m glad I didn’t baptise any of you except Crispus and Gaius. Nobody can say they were baptised in my name. Oh, and Stephanas’s household. Beyond that I don’t remember.

Christ didn’t send me to baptise. He sent me to tell people the good news, and not with clever speeches, or the cross would lose its power. To people heading for destruction, the message of the cross sounds like nonsense. To us who are being saved, it’s the power of God.

Jews want signs. Greeks want wisdom. We preach Christ crucified: an offence to Jews, nonsense to everyone else. But God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

Think back to when God called you. Not many of you were clever by anyone’s standards. Not many powerful. Not many from good families. God chose what the world calls foolish to shame the wise, and what it calls weak to shame the strong. So nobody gets to boast.

When I first came to you, I didn’t come with big words or clever arguments. I’d made up my mind to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. I was weak. Scared. Shaking.

Paul@paul · CorinthThe Lord spoke to me in a vision one night. Told me not to be afraid. Keep speaking, don’t go quiet. He’s with me, and he has a lot of people in this city. So I stayed a year and a half.

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined what God has got ready for the people who love him.

I couldn’t talk to you as grown-ups in the faith. I fed you milk, not solid food, because you weren’t ready for it. You still aren’t. There’s jealousy and fighting among you. That’s just people behaving like people.

Who is Apollos, anyway? Who is Paul? Servants, that’s all, the ones you came to faith through. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. The planter and the waterer don’t count for anything. God, who makes it grow, does.

Nobody can lay any foundation other than the one that’s already been laid: Jesus Christ.

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and God’s Spirit lives in you?

What makes you so special? What have you got that you weren’t given? And if it was given to you, why are you bragging as if you earned it?

You’ve already got everything you want, haven’t you. Already rich. Already kings, without us. I wish you really were kings, so we could be kings with you.

Replying to @paul

Meanwhile it looks like God has put us apostles at the very end of the parade, like men sentenced to die. We’re fools for Christ; you’re so wise. We’re weak; you’re strong. To this day we go hungry and thirsty, in rags, knocked about, with nowhere to live. We work with our own hands. People insult us, we bless them. People slander us, we answer gently. We’re the scum of the earth.

You might have ten thousand teachers in Christ, but you don’t have many fathers. I became your father through the good news. So copy me. That’s why I’m sending you Timothy, my dear, faithful son in the Lord. He’ll remind you how I live.

Replying to @paul

If Timothy comes, make sure he’s got nothing to be afraid of with you. He’s doing the Lord’s work, same as me. Nobody look down on him.

Some of you have got full of yourselves, as if I’m never coming back. I am coming, and soon, if the Lord wants. Then we’ll see what these people can actually do, not just what they say. Your choice: do you want me to turn up with a stick, or with love and gentleness?

It’s actually being reported: a man in your church is with his father’s wife. Even people who don’t know God wouldn’t put up with that. And you’re proud of yourselves? You should be grieving.

A little yeast works its way through the whole batch of dough. Before Passover you clear the old yeast out of the house. So clear it out. Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

Moses@mosesGod said when he sees the blood, he’ll pass over you.

In my last letter I told you not to mix with people who sleep around. I didn’t mean people outside the church, or you’d have to leave the world altogether. I meant anyone who calls himself a brother and sleeps around, or is greedy, or worships idols, or abuses people, or gets drunk, or cheats. Don’t even eat with someone like that.

One of you has a grievance against another, and you take him to court? In front of unbelievers? Is there really nobody among you wise enough to sort it out? Why not just be wronged? Why not just be cheated?

Don’t be fooled: people who live wickedly won’t have a share in God’s kingdom. And that’s what some of you were. But you were washed. Made holy. Put right with God, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Replying to @corinth.believer

Everything is allowed? Maybe. But not everything is good for you, and I won’t be mastered by anything. Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you. You’re not your own. You were bought at a price. So honour God with your body.

Replying to @corinth.believer

With so much immorality around, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband, and husbands and wives shouldn’t hold back from each other. Honestly, I wish everyone were single like me. But each person has their own gift from God.

Replying to @corinth.believer

And if you can’t control yourselves, get married. Better to marry than to burn with passion.

To the married, and this is the Lord’s command, not mine: a wife shouldn’t leave her husband, and a husband shouldn’t divorce his wife. If she does leave, she should stay single or make it up with him.

Replying to @paul

Next bit is from me, not the Lord. Married to someone who doesn’t believe? If they’re happy to stay with you, don’t leave them.

Stay in the situation you were in when God called you. Were you a slave? Don’t let it worry you, though if you can get your freedom, take it. You were bought at a price. Don’t become slaves of people.

Time is short, and this world as it is now is passing away. I want you free from worry. A single man can give himself to the Lord’s work. A married man wants to please his wife, and he’s pulled both ways. I’m not trying to tie you down. I just want you devoted to the Lord, nothing divided.

Replying to @paul

If you do marry, you haven’t sinned. I just want to spare you the troubles that come with it.

Replying to @paul

A widow’s free to marry anyone she likes, as long as he belongs to the Lord. In my opinion she’s happier staying as she is. And I think I have the Spirit of God too.

Replying to @knows.things

Knowledge puffs people up. Love builds people up. Anyone who thinks they know something doesn’t yet know it the way they should.

Replying to @knows.things

So your knowledge wrecks a brother or sister Christ died for. If what I eat makes my brother fall, I’ll never eat meat again.

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Haven’t I seen Jesus our Lord? Aren’t you yourselves my work in the Lord?

Paul@paulAsked who he was. He said he was Jesus. The one I was persecuting.

The Law of Moses says don’t muzzle an ox while it’s treading out the grain. Is God worried about oxen? It was written for us: whoever does the work should share in the harvest. But we never used that right. We’d put up with anything rather than get in the way of the good news.

Moses@mosesDon’t muzzle an ox while it’s treading out the grain.

I’m free, but I’ve made myself everyone’s slave, to win as many as I can. With Jews I lived like a Jew. With people outside the law, like one of them. With the weak, I became weak. I’ve become all things to all people, so that by every possible means I might save some.

You’ve all seen a race. Everyone runs, but only one gets the prize. So run to win. Athletes train hard for a crown that won’t last. Ours will. I don’t run aimlessly, and I don’t box the air.

Don’t forget: our ancestors all went under the cloud and through the sea. They all ate the same food from heaven and drank from the rock that went with them. That rock was Christ.

Moses@mosesHe told me to strike the rock at Horeb, and water would come out of it. I did.

And still God wasn’t pleased with most of them. They died in the desert. That’s written down as a warning to us. The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to party.

An Israelite in the camp@israelite.campOfferings in the morning, then eating and drinking, then the whole camp went wild.

If you think you’re standing firm, be careful you don’t fall. No temptation has hit you that isn’t common to everyone. And God is faithful. He won’t let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. When it comes, he’ll give you a way out, so you can stand up under it.

The bread we break: isn’t it a sharing in the body of Christ? There’s one loaf, so we who are many are one body. We all eat from the one loaf.

“Everything is allowed.” Sure. But not everything is helpful. Not everything builds people up. Nobody should be looking out only for themselves. Look out for each other.

A believer in Corinth@corinth.believer · CorinthHonestly? Everything is allowed for me. Food’s for the stomach and the stomach’s for food. Simple.

Buying meat at the market? Eat it, don’t ask questions. The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. Invited to dinner by someone who doesn’t believe? Eat what’s put in front of you. But if someone tells you it was offered to idols, leave it, for their sake.

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

When you meet, it isn’t the Lord’s Supper you’re eating. Each of you gets on with your own dinner. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. Haven’t you got homes to eat in? Do you look down on God’s church and shame the people who have nothing? Should I praise you for this? No, I won’t.

One of the poorer believers in Corinth@left.hungry · CorinthChurch meal tonight, the Lord’s Supper. By the time I got there, people had already eaten their own food without waiting. Someone was drunk. I went home hungry.

Replying to @paul

So when you come together to eat, wait for each other. If you’re hungry, eat at home.

What I received from the Lord, I passed on to you. On the night he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and said it was his body, given for us. “Do this to remember me.” After supper, the cup: the new covenant, God’s new promise, made in his blood. Every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you’re announcing the Lord’s death until he comes.

Luke@luke · JerusalemAt the table he takes bread, gives thanks, and breaks it: “This is my body, given for you. Do this to remember me.”

Different gifts, same Spirit. Different ways of serving, same Lord. Different kinds of work, same God at work in all of them. Each of you is given something, for the good of everyone.

A body isn’t one part, it’s many. If the foot decided it didn’t belong because it isn’t a hand, it would still be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? The eye can’t say to the hand, “I don’t need you.”

If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is honoured, every part celebrates. You are the body of Christ, and each one of you is part of it.

If I speak in the languages of people and of angels but don’t have love, I’m just a noisy gong. A clanging cymbal. If I have faith that can move mountains but don’t have love, I’m nothing.

Love is patient. Love is kind. It doesn’t envy. It doesn’t boast. It isn’t proud. It isn’t rude. It doesn’t insist on its own way. It isn’t easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. It takes no pleasure in evil, but is glad about the truth. It puts up with everything, believes the best, keeps hoping, keeps going.

When I was a child, I talked like a child and thought like a child. When I grew up, I put childish ways behind me. For now we see a dim reflection, like in a mirror. Then we’ll see face to face. Now I know in part. Then I’ll know fully, the way I’m fully known.

Faith, hope and love. These three remain. And the greatest of them is love.

Someone speaking in a tongue is speaking to God, not to people. Nobody understands a word. So if the whole church meets and everyone’s speaking in tongues, and someone from outside walks in, won’t they say you’ve lost your minds?

Replying to @paul

I thank God I speak in tongues more than any of you. But in church I’d rather say five words people can understand than ten thousand in a tongue.

God isn’t a God of chaos. He’s a God of peace. Do everything properly and in order.

The most important thing, what I received and passed on to you: Christ died for our sins, as the Scriptures said. He was buried. He was raised on the third day, as the Scriptures said. He appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. Then to more than five hundred of our brothers and sisters at once, most of whom are still alive. Then to James, then to all the apostles.

The believers@thebelievers · JerusalemIt's true. The Lord has risen, and he's appeared to Simon.

And last of all, he appeared to me too, like someone born at the wrong time. I’m the least of the apostles. I don’t deserve the name, because I persecuted God’s church. But by God’s grace I am what I am.

Paul@paul · Road to DamascusRoad to Damascus, letters in hand to arrest anyone who belonged to the Way. A light from heaven. I hit the ground. “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

Replying to @no.rising

If there’s no rising from the dead, then Christ hasn’t been raised either. And if Christ hasn’t been raised, our preaching is worthless and so is your faith. You’re still in your sins. If our hope in Christ is only for this life, we’re more to be pitied than anyone.

Replying to @no.rising

But Christ really has been raised from the dead. The first of the harvest, of everyone who has died.

Death came through one man, and rising from the dead comes through one man. In Adam everyone dies; in Christ everyone will be made alive. The first man, Adam, became a living being. The last Adam gives life.

Adam@adam · EdenDust. That’s what I was. Then the LORD God breathed the breath of life into my nose, and I was alive. That close. Then he planted a garden in Eden and put me in it.

Why do I put myself in danger every hour? I fought wild beasts in Ephesus. For what? If the dead aren’t raised, then sure: let’s eat and drink, because tomorrow we die.

Someone on a Jerusalem rooftop@jerusalem.rooftop · JerusalemWhole city’s up on the roofs tonight. Cattle and sheep slaughtered, meat and wine everywhere, the lot. Eat and drink, because tomorrow we die.

Don’t be fooled. Bad company ruins good character.

Replying to @no.rising

Foolish question. What you plant doesn’t come to life unless it dies. You don’t plant the whole plant, just a bare seed, and God gives it a body. Same with the dead. Buried perishable, raised never to perish. Buried weak, raised in power.

Listen, I’ll tell you a mystery. We won’t all die, but we’ll all be changed. In a flash, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. The trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised never to decay, and we will be changed.

Death has been swallowed up in victory. Death, where’s your victory? Death, where’s your sting? Thank God. He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Isaiah@isaiahOn this mountain the LORD will throw a feast for every nation. The best meat, the finest aged wine. He’ll swallow up death for ever. He’ll wipe the tears from every face.

So stand firm. Don’t let anything move you. Give yourselves fully to the Lord’s work, because nothing you do for him is wasted.

About the collection for God’s people in Jerusalem: on the first day of every week, each of you put something aside, whatever you’re able to. Then there won’t need to be collections when I get there.

The plan: I’m staying in Ephesus till Pentecost, because a big door has opened for the work here, and there are plenty of people against me. Then through Macedonia, then you. Maybe I’ll stay the winter.

About our brother Apollos: I really pushed him to come and see you. He didn’t want to come just now. He’ll come when he has the chance.

Stay alert. Stand firm in the faith. Be brave. Be strong. Do everything in love.

Writing this last bit in my own hand. Paul. Come, Lord! May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love to all of you in Christ Jesus.

Paul again, with our brother Timothy, to the church of God in Corinth and all God’s people across Achaia. Praise God, the Father who is all compassion and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in every trouble, so we can comfort anyone in trouble with the comfort we’ve been given.

I want you to know what happened to us in Asia, the province round Ephesus. It was far more than we could bear. We honestly thought we were going to die. It felt like a death sentence. It taught us to stop trusting ourselves and trust God, who raises the dead. He rescued us, and he will again.

Replying to @not.impressed

As surely as God is faithful, our message to you isn’t yes and no. In Jesus it’s always been yes. Every one of God’s promises is yes in him. And God is my witness: it was to spare you that I didn’t come back to Corinth.

Replying to @not.impressed

I’d made up my mind not to make another painful visit. So I wrote to you instead. I wrote that letter in real distress and anguish, in tears. Not to hurt you. To let you know how much I love you.

About the one who caused all the hurt: most of you have punished him, and that’s enough. Now forgive him and comfort him, so he isn’t swallowed up by too much sorrow. Show him you love him.

Got to Troas to preach, and the door was wide open. And I couldn’t settle, because my brother Titus wasn’t there. So I said goodbye and went on to Macedonia.

Thank God, who always leads us along in Christ’s victory parade, and through us spreads the knowledge of him everywhere like a perfume. To some it smells like death. To others, like life. Who’s up to that?

Do we need letters of recommendation, like some people? You are our letter. Written on our hearts, read by everyone. Not written in ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. Not on stone tablets, but on human hearts.

Moses put a veil over his face so the Israelites wouldn’t watch the glory fade. To this day, when Moses is read, there’s a veil over their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

An Israelite in the camp@israelite.campHe wears a veil now. Only takes it off to talk to the LORD.

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with faces uncovered, reflect the Lord’s glory, and we’re being changed into his likeness, brighter and brighter.

The God who said “Let light shine out of darkness” has made his light shine in our hearts, so we can see God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ.

Moses@mosesAnd God says, “Let there be light.” And there’s light. That’s all it takes.

We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show the power is God’s and not ours. Pressed on every side, but not crushed. Confused, but not in despair. Hunted, but never abandoned. Knocked down, but not destroyed.

So we don’t lose heart. Outwardly we’re wasting away, but inwardly we’re being renewed day by day. These light, passing troubles are producing a glory that far outweighs them. So we fix our eyes not on what’s seen, but on what’s unseen. What’s seen doesn’t last. What’s unseen is eternal.

If this tent we live in, our body, is taken down, we have a building from God, an eternal home in heaven, not made by human hands. We live by faith, not by sight.

Christ’s love drives us on. He died for everyone, so the people who live don’t live for themselves any more, but for him.

If anyone is in Christ, they’re a new creation. The old has gone. The new is here.

So we’re ambassadors for Christ, as if God were making his appeal through us. Please, make your peace with God. God made him who never sinned to be sin for us, so that in him we could be made right with God.

Now is the time God is showing his favour. Today is the day he saves.

How we live: beaten, jailed, in riots, overworked, sleepless, hungry. Called frauds, and telling the truth. Unknown, and well known. Dying, and look, we’re still alive. Sad, but always full of joy. Poor, yet making many rich. Having nothing, and owning everything.

Corinth, we’ve been completely open with you. Our hearts are wide open. We’re not holding back our love. You are. I’m talking to you like my own children: open your hearts to us too.

Don’t team up with people who don’t believe, like two animals in a mismatched yoke. What has light got in common with darkness? We’re the temple of the living God. God said it himself: he’ll live among us and walk among us, and be our God, and we’ll be his people.

Moses@mosesThe LORD says he’ll walk among us and be our God, and we’ll be his people. He broke the yoke we wore as slaves so we could walk with our heads up.

Macedonia was no better. No rest at all. Fights on the outside, fears on the inside. But God, who comforts people who are down, comforted us: Titus arrived. And not just seeing him. He told us how much you miss us, how sorry you are, how much you care. I was happier than ever.

Paul@paul · TroasGot to Troas to preach, and the door was wide open. And I couldn’t settle, because my brother Titus wasn’t there. So I said goodbye and went on to Macedonia.

If my letter made you sad, I don’t regret it. Well, I did regret it for a bit, when I saw it had hurt you, if only for a while. But now I’m glad. Not that you were sad, but that your sadness made you turn things round. Sorrow that comes from God leads to change and to being saved, and leaves no regrets. The world’s kind of sorrow leads to death.

I want to tell you about the churches in Macedonia. They’ve been through a terrible time and they’re very poor, and still their joy overflowed into generosity. They gave what they could and more. Nobody asked them. They begged us to let them share in helping God’s people.

You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was rich, but for your sake he became poor, so that through his poverty you could become rich.

The idea isn’t that others get relief while you get squeezed. It’s about fairness. Right now your plenty covers their need; one day theirs will cover yours. Like the manna: whoever gathered a lot didn’t have too much, and whoever gathered a little had enough.

An Israelite gathering manna@israelite.mannasome of us gathered loads, some not much. when we measured it, nobody had too much and nobody had too little. how

I’ve been boasting about you to the Macedonians. Told them Achaia has been ready to give since last year, and your enthusiasm got most of them going. So please be ready. If some Macedonians come with me and find you’re not, we’ll be embarrassed. You will too.

Sow a little, reap a little. Sow generously, reap generously. Each of you give what you’ve decided in your heart, not reluctantly, not because you feel you have to. God loves a cheerful giver.

Thank God for his gift. There are no words for it.

I’m asking you, by the gentleness of Christ. Yes, me, Paul, apparently so timid to your face and so bold when I’m away.

Replying to @not.impressed

People who say that should realise: what we are in our letters when we’re away, we’ll be in person when we’re there.

We tear down arguments and every proud idea raised against knowing God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.

If you want to boast, boast about the Lord. It isn’t the person who recommends himself who’s approved. It’s the one the Lord recommends.

I’m jealous for you, with God’s own jealousy. I promised you to one husband, Christ. And I’m afraid that just as the serpent tricked Eve, your minds will be led away from your simple, pure devotion to Christ.

Eve@eve · EdenIt looked good. It was beautiful. I wanted to be wise. So I ate some, and gave some to Adam. He was right there with me.

If someone turns up preaching a different Jesus, you put up with it easily enough. I don’t think I’m any less than these “super-apostles”. I may not be a polished speaker, but I know what I’m talking about.

Was it a sin to preach God’s good news to you for free? I robbed other churches, taking their support so I could serve you. When I was with you and ran short, I didn’t lean on anyone. The brothers from Macedonia brought what I needed.

Men like that are false apostles, dressed up as apostles of Christ. No surprise. Satan himself dresses up as an angel of light.

Fine. Talking like a fool, I’ll boast too. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Descendants of Abraham? So am I. Servants of Christ? I’m out of my mind talking like this, but I’m more. Five times I got the thirty-nine lashes. Three times beaten with rods. Once stoned. Shipwrecked three times, and a night and a day in the open sea. In danger from rivers, bandits, my own people and foreigners, in the city, in the country, at sea. Sleepless, hungry, thirsty, cold.

Replying to @paul

And on top of all that, every day, the weight of caring for all the churches. Who is weak without me feeling it? Who is led into sin without me burning inside?

If I have to boast, I’ll boast about what shows how weak I am. In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city guarded to arrest me. I got out in a basket, lowered through a window in the wall.

Paul@paul · DamascusWord got to me that they were watching the city gates day and night so they could kill me. So the believers put me in a basket one night and lowered me over the wall.

I know a man in Christ who, fourteen years ago, was caught up to the third heaven. In his body or out of it, I don’t know. God knows. He was caught up into paradise and heard things that can’t be put into words, things no one is allowed to repeat.

To stop me getting conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me. Three times I begged the Lord to take it away. He said to me, “My grace is enough for you.” His power is made perfect in weakness.

Replying to @paul

So I’ll gladly boast about my weaknesses, so Christ’s power can rest on me. Insults, hardships, persecution, trouble: for Christ’s sake, I’m glad of them. When I am weak, then I am strong.

I’m ready to come to you a third time. And I won’t be a burden. I don’t want your things, I want you. Children shouldn’t have to save up for their parents; parents save for their children. I’ll gladly spend everything I have, and myself, for you. If I love you more, will you love me less?

Examine yourselves. See whether you’re really in the faith. Test yourselves.

Finally, brothers and sisters: be glad. Aim for harmony. Encourage each other. Agree with each other. Live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the friendship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Galatia. I can’t believe how fast you’re walking away from the one who called you by Christ’s kindness, over to a different good news. Which isn’t good news at all. Someone is messing with your heads.

If anyone brings you a different message from the one we brought you, even us, even an angel from heaven, let him be under God’s curse. I said it before. I’m saying it again.

Does this sound like someone trying to keep people happy? If I were still trying to please people, I wouldn’t be Christ’s servant.

You’ve heard what I used to be like. I hunted God’s church and tried to wipe it out. I was further along in Judaism than most people my age, and fierce about our ancestors’ traditions.

Luke@luke · JerusalemAnd Saul was there, approving of it all. Now he’s going house to house, dragging believers, men and women, off to prison. Everyone except the apostles scatters.

When God showed me his Son, I didn’t go running to anyone for advice. Went off to Arabia, then back to Damascus. Three years before I went up to Jerusalem to get to know Peter. Stayed with him fifteen days. The only other apostle I saw was James, the Lord’s brother. Before God, I’m not lying.

Fourteen years later I went up to Jerusalem again, with Barnabas. Took Titus too. I laid out the message I preach to non-Jews, privately, to the ones everyone sees as leaders. And nobody made Titus get circumcised, even though he’s Greek.

James, Peter and John, the ones they call the pillars, shook hands with Barnabas and me. We go to the non-Jews; they go to the Jews. All they asked was that we keep remembering the poor. Which I was keen to do anyway.

He was scared of the circumcision crowd, and he was in the wrong. So I told him to his face, in front of all of them: you’re a Jew and you live like a non-Jew, so how can you make non-Jews live like Jews?

Someone in the Antioch church@antioch.church · AntiochRight, so. Peter’s been in Antioch, eating with the non-Jewish believers like it’s nothing. Then some men turned up from James in Jerusalem, and now he’s pulled back. Eats separately.

Nobody is put right with God by keeping the law. Only through faith in Jesus Christ. We’re Jews by birth and we know that. It’s why we believed in him too.

I’ve been crucified with Christ. It’s not me living any more. Christ lives in me. The life I live now, I live by trusting the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

If you could get right with God by keeping the law, then Christ died for nothing.

You foolish Galatians! Who has put a spell on you? You saw Jesus Christ crucified, as plain as day. One question. Did you receive the Spirit by keeping the law, or by hearing and believing? You started with the Spirit, and now you’re trying to finish on your own effort? Are you really that foolish?

Abraham believed God, and God counted that as making him right with him. So the people who have faith are Abraham’s real children.

Moses@mosesAbram believes the LORD, and the LORD counts that as making him right with God. One sentence. People are still quoting it.

Scripture saw this coming. It told Abraham the good news in advance: all nations will be blessed through you. That’s you.

Moses@moses · HaranThen this. The LORD tells Abram to leave his country, his relatives and his father’s house, and go to a land he’ll show him. He’ll make him into a great nation, and every family on earth will be blessed through him.

It’s obvious nobody gets right with God by the law. Scripture says it: the one who is right with God will live by faith.

Habakkuk@habakkukLook at the proud one. He isn’t right inside. But the one who is right with God will live by faith.

Think of it in everyday terms. Once an agreement is signed and sealed, nobody can cancel it or add to it. The law came 430 years after God’s promise to Abraham. It can’t cancel the promise.

Replying to @galatia.listening

It was added because of wrongdoing, until the promised descendant came. It was like a minder looking after a child, there to lead us to Christ. Now that faith has come, we don’t need the minder any more.

You are all God’s children through faith in Christ Jesus. There’s no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female. You’re all one in Christ Jesus.

When the time was exactly right, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to buy freedom for the people under the law, so we could be adopted as his children. And he sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, calling out “Abba, Father”. So you’re not a slave any more. You’re a child. And if you’re a child, you’re an heir.

You know God now. Or rather, God knows you. So why would you go back to those weak, worthless things and be slaves all over again? Special days! And months! And seasons and years! I’m scared for you. Scared all my work with you was for nothing.

A believer in Galatia@believer.galatia · GalatiaSince Paul left, some teachers have been through. They say the men here need to be circumcised, the way the Jewish law says. And we should be keeping the special days and months and seasons. A lot of people are listening.

Remember how we met? I was ill. That’s how I came to be preaching to you in the first place. My illness was a real test for you, and you didn’t look down on me or turn me away. You welcomed me like an angel from God. Like Christ Jesus himself. If you could have torn out your own eyes and given them to me, you would have.

Replying to @paul

So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?

My dear children. I’m going through labour pains over you all over again, until Christ is formed in you. I wish I could be with you right now and change my tone. I honestly don’t know what to do with you.

You want to live under the law? Then listen to what it says. Abraham had two sons: one by Hagar, the slave woman, one by Sarah, the free woman. The slave’s son was born the ordinary way; the free woman’s son was born because of God’s promise. They’re a picture of two agreements. And you, brothers and sisters, are like Isaac. Children of the promise.

Sarah@sarahIt’s a boy. Right on time, like God said. His name is Isaac.

It was for freedom that Christ set us free. So stand firm, and don’t let anyone put the yoke of slavery back on you.

Listen. I, Paul, am telling you: if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ is no use to you at all. In Christ, circumcised or not makes no difference. What counts is faith, working itself out through love.

You were running so well. Who cut in on you? It takes only a little yeast to work its way through the whole batch of dough.

You were called to be free. Just don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do whatever you like. Serve one another in love. The whole law comes down to one line: love your neighbour as yourself.

Moses@mosesSame part, from the LORD: no revenge, no grudges. Love your neighbour as yourself. And he signs it “I am the LORD.”

Replying to @paul

But if you keep biting each other and tearing into each other, watch out. You’ll eat each other alive.

What our selfish nature produces is obvious: sleeping around, impurity, idol worship, sorcery, hatred, arguing, jealousy, rage, rivalry, splits, factions, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and so on. I’m warning you again: people who live like that won’t have a share in God’s kingdom.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There’s no law against any of that.

Paul@paulWhat our selfish nature produces is obvious: sleeping around, impurity, idol worship, sorcery, hatred, arguing, jealousy, rage, rivalry, splits, factions, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and so on. I’m warning you again: people who live like that won’t have a share in God’s kingdom.

If someone gets caught doing wrong, set them right again, gently. And watch yourself, or you’ll be tempted too. Carry each other’s burdens. That’s how you keep the law of Christ.

Don’t kid yourselves. God can’t be made a fool of. You reap what you sow.

Don’t get tired of doing good. At the right time we’ll reap a harvest, if we don’t give up.

Look how big the letters are. I’m writing this bit with my own hand.

As for me, I’ll never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Circumcised or not doesn’t mean a thing. What counts is a new creation.

From now on, nobody give me any more trouble. I carry the marks of Jesus on my body.

Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ he’s blessed us with every spiritual blessing there is. He chose us in him before the world was even made.

In him we’re set free through his blood. Our wrongs, forgiven. That’s how rich God’s kindness is, and he didn’t hold back pouring it out on us.

When you heard the truth and believed, God marked you as his with the Holy Spirit he’d promised. The Spirit is the first instalment, the guarantee of everything that’s coming to us.

Praying that the eyes of your heart are opened, so you know the hope he’s called you to, and how huge his power is for those of us who believe.

You were dead in your wrongdoing and sins. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love for us, made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead.

Replying to @paul

It’s by grace you’ve been saved, through faith. Not by anything you did. It’s God’s gift. Not earned, so nobody gets to boast. We’re God’s handiwork, made in Christ Jesus to do the good things he planned for us long ago.

If you’re not Jewish, remember what you were. Outside Israel. Strangers to God’s promises. No hope, and without God in the world. But now, in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near. He’s torn down the wall of hostility that stood between us, and made the two into one.

Replying to @believer.ephesus

So you’re not strangers or outsiders any more. You’re fellow citizens with God’s people, part of his household. Built on the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.

I’m the least of all God’s people. Less than the least. And I was given this job: telling non-Jews about the riches of Christ, which no one will ever get to the bottom of.

I kneel before the Father and pray that you, rooted deep in love, would grasp how wide and long and high and deep Christ’s love is. And know that love, even though it’s beyond knowing.

To him who can do far more than anything we ask or imagine, by his power at work in us: glory to him, in the church and in Christ Jesus, for ever and ever. Amen.

From a prisoner for the Lord: live up to the calling you’ve received. Be humble and gentle. Be patient, putting up with each other in love. Work hard at keeping the unity the Spirit gives, bound together by peace.

One body. One Spirit. One hope. One Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God and Father of all.

No more being like kids tossed around by the waves, blown about by every new teaching and every clever trick. Speak the truth in love, and grow up into Christ, who is the head.

Take off your old self like old clothes. Let God make your thinking new. Put on the new self, made to be like God, truly good and holy.

Be angry, but don’t sin. Don’t let the sun go down while you’re still angry. Don’t give the devil a foothold.

If you used to steal, stop. Get to work with your own hands, so you’ve got something to give to people in need.

Nothing rotten coming out of your mouths. Only what builds people up. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, shouting and slander. Be kind to each other, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, the way God forgave you in Christ.

You used to be darkness. Now you’re light in the Lord. So live like children of light. As the saying goes: Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.

Watch how you live. Make the most of every chance you get, because these are evil times. Don’t get drunk on wine. Be filled with the Spirit instead. Sing psalms and hymns and songs to each other, make music to the Lord in your hearts, and always thank God the Father for everything.

Submit to one another out of respect for Christ. Wives, to your husbands, as to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives the way Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

A man leaves his father and mother, is joined to his wife, and the two become one. It’s a deep mystery, and I’m talking about Christ and the church.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord. Honour your father and mother: it’s the first command that comes with a promise. And fathers, don’t push your children to anger. Bring them up the Lord’s way, training them and teaching them.

Be strong in the Lord and his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God. Our fight isn’t against flesh and blood. It’s against the rulers, the authorities, the powers of this dark world, the spiritual forces of evil.

The armour of God: 1. Truth, buckled round your waist like a belt. 2. Being right with God, as your breastplate. 3. On your feet, readiness to bring the good news of peace. 4. Faith as your shield, to put out every flaming arrow the evil one fires. 5. Salvation as your helmet. 6. The Spirit’s sword, which is the word of God.

Paul@paulBe strong in the Lord and his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God. Our fight isn’t against flesh and blood. It’s against the rulers, the authorities, the powers of this dark world, the spiritual forces of evil.

Pray for me too. Pray that when I open my mouth I get the words, and say them boldly. I’m an ambassador in chains.

Philippi. Every time I think of you, I thank God. Every time I pray for you, I pray with joy, because you’ve been partners with me in the good news from the first day until now. And I’m sure of this: the one who started a good work in you will finish it.

What’s happened to me has actually helped the good news. The whole palace guard knows I’m in chains because of Christ. And most of the believers here have got braver because of it. They’re speaking out without fear.

Some are preaching Christ out of envy and rivalry, hoping to make my time in chains harder. Others do it out of love. So what? Either way, Christ is being preached. And that makes me glad.

For me, living is Christ and dying is gain. I’m torn. I’d love to go and be with Christ, which is far better. But it’s more necessary for you that I stay.

Replying to @paul

I’m sure of it. I’m staying, and I’ll be with you again.

Don’t do anything out of selfish ambition or to make yourself look good. Be humble, and think of others as more important than you. Look out for each other’s interests, not just your own.

Think the way Christ Jesus did. He was God by nature, and didn’t cling to being equal with God. He emptied himself, took the nature of a servant, and became a human being. He humbled himself and obeyed all the way to death. Death on a cross. So God raised him to the highest place and gave him the name above every name. At the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will say that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Do everything without grumbling or arguing. Then you’ll shine like stars in the world.

Hoping to send Timothy to you soon. I’ve got nobody else like him. He genuinely cares how you are. Everyone else looks after their own interests. You know what he’s like: he’s worked with me for the good news like a son with his dad.

Replying to @epaphroditus

Welcome him home with real joy, and honour people like him. He nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to do for me what you couldn’t do from there.

Watch out for those dogs. The troublemakers who want to cut your flesh. If anyone thinks they’ve got reasons to be confident in their own credentials, I’ve got more: 1. Circumcised at eight days old. 2. Israelite. 3. Tribe of Benjamin. 4. Hebrew, son of Hebrews. 5. On the law: a Pharisee. 6. On how keen I was: I persecuted the church. 7. On keeping the law: faultless.

And all of it I now count as loss. Rubbish, next to the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

Paul@paulWatch out for those dogs. The troublemakers who want to cut your flesh. If anyone thinks they’ve got reasons to be confident in their own credentials, I’ve got more: 1. Circumcised at eight days old. 2. Israelite. 3. Tribe of Benjamin. 4. Hebrew, son of Hebrews. 5. On the law: a Pharisee. 6. On how keen I was: I persecuted the church. 7. On keeping the law: faultless.

Not that I’ve arrived. But one thing I do: forgetting what’s behind and straining towards what’s ahead, I keep running for the finish line, for the prize God is calling me up to in Christ Jesus.

I’ve told you often, and I’m telling you again in tears: plenty of people live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their stomach is their god. But our citizenship is in heaven, and we’re waiting for a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Euodia and Syntyche: please, I’m begging you both, agree with each other in the Lord. And you, my true partner there, help these women. They fought side by side with me for the good news.

Be glad in the Lord, always. I’ll say it again: be glad!

Don’t worry about anything. Pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him. And God’s peace, which is beyond anything we can understand, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable. If anything is excellent or worth praising, think about those things.

I’ve learned to be content whatever’s going on. I know what it’s like to have next to nothing, and what it’s like to have plenty. Full or hungry, more than enough or not enough, I’ve learned the secret. I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

You Philippians know: in the early days, when I left Macedonia, you were the only church that went into partnership with me on giving. Even in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. And now I’ve got everything from Epaphroditus. More than I need.

Replying to @paul

And my God will meet every need you have, out of his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

All God’s people here say hello. Especially the ones in Caesar’s household.

Colossae. We’ve never stopped praying for you since the day we heard about you. God has rescued us from the power of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. In him we’re set free, our sins forgiven.

The Son is the image of the invisible God. Everything was made in him: in heaven and on earth, seen and unseen, thrones, powers, rulers, authorities. All of it was made through him and for him. He was there before anything else, and in him everything holds together.

Replying to @paul

God was pleased to have all his fullness live in him, and through him to bring everything back to himself, making peace through the blood of his cross.

A secret kept hidden for ages and generations, and now it’s out. Here it is: Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Don’t let anyone take you captive with hollow, deceptive philosophy that comes from human tradition and not from Christ. All the fullness of God lives in him, in a body.

You were dead in your sins. God made you alive with Christ and forgave every one of them. He cancelled the record of what we owed and took it away, nailing it to the cross.

So don’t let anyone judge you over what you eat or drink, or festivals, new moons and Sabbaths. Those were a shadow of what was coming. The real thing is Christ.

A believer in Colossae@believer.colossae · ColossaeMeanwhile in Colossae: some people keep telling us what we can and can’t eat and drink, which festivals and new moons and Sabbaths to keep. Some are big on worshipping angels and go on about visions they’ve seen. Don’t handle this, don’t taste that, don’t touch the other.

Replying to @paul

“Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!” Rules like that look wise, with their strict self-denial and harsh treatment of the body. But they do nothing at all to stop the wrong desires.

You’ve been raised with Christ, so set your hearts on things above, where he is. Not on earthly things. You died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

Here there’s no Greek or Jew, circumcised or not, foreigner, Scythian, slave or free. Christ is everything, and he’s in everyone.

God has chosen you and he loves you. So dress yourselves in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Put up with each other, and if anyone has a complaint against someone, forgive. Forgive the way the Lord forgave you. And over all of it, put on love. It holds everything together.

Let Christ’s peace rule in your hearts. And be thankful.

Whatever you do, in word or action, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, thanking God the Father through him.

Keep praying. Stay alert, and be thankful. Pray for us too, that God opens a door for the message. It’s why I’m in chains.

Always be gracious in how you talk, seasoned with salt, so you know how to answer anyone.

Epaphras, who’s one of you, sends his greetings. He’s always wrestling in prayer for you, that you’ll stand firm, grown up and sure of everything God wants. He works so hard for you, and for Laodicea and Hierapolis.

Epaphras@epaphrasI’m the one who brought the good news to Colossae. Now I’m with Paul, and I’ve told him all about you, and how much love the Spirit has given you.

Once this letter’s been read to you, get it read in the church at Laodicea as well. And you read the one I sent them.

Tell Archippus: make sure you finish the work the Lord gave you to do.

I’m writing this greeting in my own hand. Paul. Remember my chains.

We couldn’t bear it any longer, so we stayed on in Athens by ourselves and sent Timothy to see how you were. I was scared the tempter had got to you, and all our work had been for nothing.

Replying to @timothy

Now we can really live, knowing you’re standing firm in the Lord.

Thessalonica. We thank God for you all the time. Your work that comes from faith, your hard work that comes from love, your hope in our Lord Jesus Christ that doesn’t give up.

We don’t even need to tell people about you. Everywhere we go, they’re already telling us how you turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven.

When we got to you, we’d just been beaten and humiliated in Philippi. Even so, God gave us the courage to tell you the good news, with plenty of people against us.

Silas@silas · PhilippiStripped, beaten with rods, thrown in the inner cell with our feet in the stocks. Around midnight Paul and I were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Then an earthquake. Every door opened. Everyone’s chains came loose.

We were gentle with you, like a mother nursing her children. We loved you so much we were glad to share not just the good news of God but our own lives. You’d become that dear to us.

Remember how hard we worked? Night and day, so we wouldn’t be a burden to any of you while we told you the good news.

We were torn away from you for a while. In person, not in heart. I tried to come back to you again and again, and Satan blocked us. You’re our pride and joy.

Make it your ambition to live a quiet life, mind your own business and work with your hands, like we told you. Then outsiders will respect you, and you won’t have to depend on anyone.

Replying to @believer.thessalonica

We don’t want you grieving like people who have no hope. We believe Jesus died and rose again, and so God will bring with Jesus the ones who have died trusting him.

The Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with an archangel’s voice and God’s trumpet, and the dead who belong to Christ will rise first. Then those of us still alive will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And we’ll be with the Lord for ever. So encourage each other with this.

A believer in Thessalonica@believer.thessalonicaSome of us have died since we believed. What happens to them when the Lord comes back?

You don’t need me to write about dates and times. You know the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. Just when people are saying everything’s peaceful and safe, destruction will come on them suddenly.

Replying to @paul

But you’re children of the light, children of the day. So let’s not be asleep like everyone else. Let’s stay awake and clear-headed.

Warn the ones who won’t pull their weight. Encourage the timid. Help the weak. Be patient with everyone.

Be joyful always. Never stop praying. Give thanks whatever happens.

Test everything. Hold on to what’s good.

The one who calls you is faithful. He’ll do it.

I’m putting you under oath before the Lord: get this letter read to every single one of the believers.

Thessalonica. We have to thank God for you. Your faith keeps growing, and so does your love for each other. We boast about you to the other churches: how you keep going and keep trusting through all the persecution and trouble you’re putting up with.

Don’t let yourselves be shaken or alarmed by any message or letter that looks like it came from us, saying the day of the Lord is already here. Don’t let anyone fool you. That day won’t come until the great rebellion happens and the man of lawlessness shows himself, the one who sets himself up in God’s temple and claims to be God.

A believer in Thessalonica@believer.thessalonica · ThessalonicaPeople here are rattled. Someone says they’ve had a message from the Spirit, and there’s a letter going round that’s supposed to be from Paul. They all say the same thing: the day of the Lord has already come.

Replying to @paul

Don’t you remember? I told you all this when I was with you.

So stand firm, and hold on to what we taught you, whether we said it in person or wrote it in a letter.

The Lord is faithful. He’ll strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.

Replying to @thessalonica.works

We’ve heard. When we were with you, we gave you this rule: anyone who won’t work shouldn’t eat.

We never ate anyone’s food without paying for it. We worked night and day so we wouldn’t be a burden on any of you. We had every right to ask for your support. We wanted to be an example you could follow.

Paul@paulRemember how hard we worked? Night and day, so we wouldn’t be a burden to any of you while we told you the good news.

Replying to @paul

To people like that, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ: settle down, get to work, and earn your own living.

And the rest of you: don’t get tired of doing good.

If anyone won’t do what this letter says, take note of them and keep your distance, so they feel ashamed. But don’t treat them as an enemy. Warn them the way you’d warn a brother.

I’m writing this greeting in my own hand. Paul. It’s my mark in every letter. This is how I write.

A believer in Thessalonica@believer.thessalonica · ThessalonicaPeople here are rattled. Someone says they’ve had a message from the Spirit, and there’s a letter going round that’s supposed to be from Paul. They all say the same thing: the day of the Lord has already come.

Replying to @timothy

Myths. Endless family trees. None of it helps anyone; it just starts arguments. What we’re aiming for is love, from a pure heart, a clear conscience and faith that’s real.

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord for trusting me with this. Me. I used to insult him, hunt down his people, and I was violent. I did it in ignorance and unbelief, and he showed me mercy anyway.

Here’s a saying you can trust, and everyone should take it on board: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I’m the worst of them.

That was me. And that’s exactly why he showed me mercy: if he could be that patient with the worst of them, it’s an example for everyone who’d ever believe in him.

Luke@luke · JerusalemAnd Saul was there, approving of it all. Now he’s going house to house, dragging believers, men and women, off to prison. Everyone except the apostles scatters.

First of all, pray. For everyone. For kings and everyone in charge too, so we can live quiet, peaceful lives. God wants everyone to be saved and to come to know the truth.

There’s one God. And there’s one go-between for God and people: the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself to pay for everyone’s freedom.

Want to lead a church? Good thing to want. The list: 1. Nobody can point a finger at you. 2. Faithful to your wife. 3. Self-controlled, sensible, respectable. 4. You welcome guests, and you can teach. 5. Not a drinker. Not violent. Gentle. 6. You don’t love money. 7. You run your own home well. If you can’t look after your own family, how will you look after God’s church? 8. Not a new believer, or it’ll go to your head.

The mystery of our faith, and it’s a big one: he showed up in a human body. The Spirit proved he was in the right. Angels saw him. He was preached among the nations, believed in all over the world, and taken up into glory.

Some people will tell you not to marry, and not to eat certain foods. God made those foods to be enjoyed with thanks. Everything God made is good. Don’t turn any of it down if you take it with thanks.

Physical training is worth something. Training yourself to live God’s way is worth far more. It pays off now, and in the life to come.

Timothy, don’t let anyone look down on you because you’re young. Be the example: in what you say, how you live, in love, in faith, in purity.

Treat older men like your father. Younger men like brothers. Older women like mothers. Younger women like sisters, with nothing but purity.

Anyone who won’t look after their own relatives, especially their own household, has denied the faith. They’re worse than someone who doesn’t believe at all.

Elders who lead well deserve double honour, especially the ones working hard at preaching and teaching. Scripture says don’t muzzle the ox. And the worker deserves his pay.

Moses@mosesDon’t muzzle an ox while it’s treading out the grain.

Timothy. Stop drinking only water. Have a little wine, for your stomach and all those illnesses of yours.

Living God’s way and being content with it: that’s real wealth. We brought nothing into the world, and we can’t take anything out of it. If we’ve got food and clothes, that’s enough.

People who are set on getting rich fall into temptation and a trap. The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people chasing it have wandered away from the faith and brought themselves a lot of pain.

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life you were called to.

Tell the rich not to be arrogant, and not to pin their hopes on money, which is so uncertain, but on God, who gives us everything richly to enjoy. Tell them to be rich in doing good. Generous. Ready to share.

Timothy, guard what’s been trusted to you. Steer clear of the pointless chatter, and the arguments of what some people wrongly call knowledge.

Timothy, my dear son. I remember you in my prayers, night and day. I remember your tears, too, and I really want to see you. It would fill me with joy.

I remember your faith as well. It’s real. It lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I’m sure it lives in you.

Fan into flame the gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. God didn’t give us a spirit of fear. He gave us a spirit of power, of love and of self-control.

Don’t be ashamed of the message about our Lord, or of me, his prisoner. I’m suffering for it, and I’m not ashamed, because I know the one I’ve trusted.

Everyone in the province of Asia has turned away from me. Everyone.

Replying to @onesiphorus

This man. He’s cheered me up so many times, and my chains never embarrassed him. And before that, all he did for us in Ephesus.

Take your share of the hardship like a good soldier. Soldiers don’t get tangled up in everyday business; they want to please their commander. Athletes don’t win the prize unless they stick to the rules. And the farmer who does the hard work should get the first share of the crop. Think about it.

I’m in chains like a criminal. But God’s word isn’t in chains.

A saying you can trust: If we died with him, we’ll live with him. If we keep going, we’ll reign with him. If we disown him, he’ll disown us. If we’re faithless, he stays faithful. He can’t go against who he is.

Do your best to be someone God approves of, a worker with nothing to be ashamed of, who handles the word of truth properly.

Run from the passions of youth. Go after what’s right: faith, love and peace, along with everyone who calls on the Lord from a pure heart. And stay out of stupid arguments. You know they only end in fights.

In the last days people will love themselves and love money. Boastful, proud, ungrateful, loving pleasure instead of loving God. They’ll look religious, but they’ll have nothing of its power. Keep away from them.

You know what I went through in Antioch, in Iconium and in Lystra, your home town. You saw it. And the Lord rescued me from all of it.

Luke@luke · LystraThen men arrive from Antioch and Iconium and win the crowd over. The same crowd stones Paul and drags him out of town, thinking he’s dead. The believers gather round him. He gets up and walks back into the city.

Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

All Scripture is breathed out by God. It’s useful for teaching, for showing us where we’re wrong, for putting things right, and for training in how to live right. So God’s people are fully equipped for every good thing.

Preach the word. Be ready when it suits and when it doesn’t. The time is coming when people won’t put up with sound teaching. They’ll collect teachers who tell their itching ears what they want to hear.

My life is already being poured out, like wine poured out as an offering. It’s nearly time for me to go.

I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.

Paul@paul · MiletusMy life isn’t worth anything to me, if I can just finish the race and the job the Lord Jesus gave me: telling people the good news of God’s kindness.

Replying to @paul

Now there’s a crown waiting for me, and the Lord will give it to me on that day. Not just me, either. Everyone who has longed for him to appear.

Do your best to come quickly. Demas has left me. He loved this world, and he’s gone to Thessalonica.

Replying to @paul

Only Luke is with me.

Pick up Mark and bring him with you. He’s useful to me in the work.

When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus at Troas. And the scrolls. Especially the parchments.

Alexander the metalworker did me a lot of harm. The Lord will pay him back for what he’s done. Watch out for him. He fought everything we said, hard.

At my first hearing in court, nobody came to stand with me. Everyone deserted me. I hope it isn’t held against them. But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so the message got out in full, for all the nations to hear. I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.

The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. Glory to him for ever and ever.

Do your best to get here before winter.

Titus, my true son in the faith we share. What an elder has to be: nobody can point a finger at him. Faithful to his wife. Not quick-tempered, not a drinker, not violent, not greedy. Holds on to the message as it was taught, so he can encourage people and correct anyone who argues against it.

There are a lot of people on Crete who won’t be told. All talk, leading people astray, and upsetting whole households for the sake of money. One of Crete’s own prophets said it: “Cretans are always liars”, nasty animals, lazy and greedy. It’s true.

To the pure, everything is pure.

They say they know God, but the way they live denies it.

Titus, in everything, be the example of doing good. Teach honestly and seriously, with words nobody can fault. Then anyone who opposes us will be embarrassed, because they’ll have nothing bad to say about us.

God’s kindness has appeared, bringing rescue to everyone. It teaches us to say no to living without God and to worldly cravings, and to live sensible, upright, godly lives right now, while we wait for what we hope for: our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ appearing in glory.

Remind them to submit to rulers and authorities and do what they say, to be ready to do good, to speak badly of nobody, to keep the peace, and to be gentle with everyone.

We were foolish once too. Disobedient, led astray, slaves to all kinds of cravings and pleasures. Full of spite and envy. Hated, and hating each other.

Replying to @paul

But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us. Not because of anything good we’d done, but because of his mercy. He washed us, gave us new birth, and made us new by the Holy Spirit.

Stay out of foolish arguments, family trees, and quarrels about the law. They’re useless. Warn someone who’s causing division once, then a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them.

When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis. I’ve decided to spend the winter there.

Our people need to learn to give themselves to doing good, meeting real needs, so their lives aren’t fruitless.

Philemon, every time I pray I thank God for you. I keep hearing about your love and your faith. Brother, you’ve refreshed the hearts of God’s people, and it’s given me so much joy.

I could order you to do the right thing. I’d rather ask, because of love. So this is me asking. Paul, an old man, and now a prisoner for Christ Jesus. It’s about my son, Onesimus. He became my son while I’ve been in chains.

Before, he was useless to you. Now he’s useful. To you, and to me.

I’m sending him back to you, and that’s sending my own heart. I’d have liked to keep him here, to help me in your place while I’m in chains for the good news. But I didn’t want to do anything without your say-so. A kindness should be your choice, not something forced.

Maybe this is why he was parted from you for a while: so you could have him back for good. Not as a slave any more. Better than a slave. A dear brother. He is to me, and even more to you.

So if you count me as a partner, welcome him the way you’d welcome me. If he’s wronged you, or owes you anything, charge it to me. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I’ll pay it back. Not to mention that you owe me your very self.

I’m writing because I’m confident you’ll do what I ask. More, actually.

One more thing: get a guest room ready for me. I’m hoping God will answer your prayers and give me back to you.

I’m sure of this. I have to do everything I can against the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

Replying to @ananiasdamascus

I can see.

Ananias told me the God of our ancestors has chosen me. To know what he wants, to see the Righteous One and hear him speak. I’m to tell everyone what I’ve seen and heard. Then he said: so what are you waiting for?

Replying to @paul

Get up, be baptised, wash your sins away, calling on his name. So I got up and was baptised.

Before he got here, I’d already seen him. In a vision. A man called Ananias, coming in and putting his hands on me so I’d see again. Then there he was.

Ananias of Damascus@ananiasdamascusOn my way to Straight Street.

Replying to @damascus.local

Yes. That was me. I put a lot of them in prison, and when they were sentenced to death, I voted against them. I went from synagogue to synagogue having them punished, trying to make them speak against him.

Jesus is the Messiah. And I can prove it.

Turn back to God. Then live like you mean it.

People keep asking what happened on the road. It started with this. We all hit the ground, and I heard a voice speaking to me in Hebrew.

One of Saul's travelling companions@saul.companion · The road to DamascusNoon. A light out of the sky, brighter than the sun. All round us.

Replying to @paul

It said my name, twice, and asked why I’m persecuting him. And that it’s hard for me, kicking against the goads. Like an ox kicking back at the stick that drives it.

Replying to @paul

I asked who he was. Jesus of Nazareth, he said. The one I’m persecuting.

Replying to @paul

I asked what I should do. Get up, go into Damascus, and I’d be told.

Replying to @paul

He said he’s sending me to the nations. To open their eyes. To bring them out of darkness into light.

Replying to @damascus.believer

Came to Damascus with letters from the high priest. Leaving in a basket.

I said this. In this city. I was that sure.

Paul@paul · JerusalemI’m sure of this. I have to do everything I can against the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

Saying it here now, in Jerusalem, out loud. The same thing I said in Damascus.

I was praying in the temple and fell into a trance. I saw the Lord. Hurry, he said, get out of Jerusalem. They won’t accept what you tell them about me.

Replying to @paul

I said, Lord, they know what I was. I went from synagogue to synagogue, putting your people in prison and beating them. When Stephen was killed, I stood there approving and minded the coats.

Replying to @paul

He said go. I’m sending you far away. To the nations.

Replying to @jerusalem.believer

Tarsus. Where I started.

Had a vision in the night. A man from Macedonia, standing there, pleading with me. Come over and help us.

Replying to @paul

We do. God’s calling us to take the good news to Macedonia. We leave as soon as we can.

I’d had enough. I turned round and spoke to the spirit, not to her. Ordered it out of her in the name of Jesus Christ.

No. They beat us in public, without a trial, and threw us in prison. We’re Roman citizens. And now they want us gone quietly? Absolutely not. Let them come and walk us out themselves.

When we got to Thessalonica, we’d just been beaten and humiliated in Philippi. God gave us the courage to tell them the good news anyway.

The magistrates of Philippi@philippi.magistrates · The marketplace, PhilippiBy order of the magistrates: the two men are to be stripped and beaten with rods, then held in prison.

I can see where this voyage is heading, and it’s disaster. We’ll lose the cargo and the ship, and our own lives as well.

You should have listened to me and not sailed from Crete. You’d have been spared all this damage and loss.

Replying to @paul

But now keep up your courage. Not one of you is going to lose your life. Only the ship.

Last night an angel of the God I belong to and serve stood next to me. He said: “Don’t be afraid, Paul.” I have to stand before Caesar. And God has given me the lives of everyone sailing with me.

Replying to @paul

So keep your spirits up. I believe God. It’ll happen exactly the way he told me.

Replying to @paul

We will have to run aground on some island, though.

Second time. In Jerusalem the Lord himself stood by me: take courage, it’s Rome. Last night an angel: don’t be afraid, it’s Caesar.

Paul@paul · JerusalemThat night the Lord stood beside me. Told me to be brave. I’d told people about him in Jerusalem, and I have to do the same in Rome.

Fourteen days you’ve been on edge and waiting, and nobody’s eaten a thing. Please eat something. You need it to get through this. Not one hair on anyone’s head is going to be lost.

I did say I’d come and see you. Not quite how I planned to arrive.

Paul@paulThe plan: first Jerusalem, taking the gift the believers in Macedonia and Achaia have collected for the poor there. Then Spain. And I’ll see you on the way. Finally.