Fellowship and the church

¹ Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.

² Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

²⁰ I am not asking on behalf of them alone, but also on behalf of those who will believe in Me through their message,

²¹ that all of them may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You. May they also be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.

²² I have given them the glory You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one—

²³ I in them and You in Me—that they may be perfectly united, so that the world may know that You sent Me and have loved them just as You have loved Me.

⁹ God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

¹⁰ I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree together, so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be united in mind and conviction.

¹¹ My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.

¹² What I mean is this: Individuals among you are saying, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.”

¹³ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?

Finally, all of you, be like-minded and sympathetic, love as brothers, be tenderhearted and humble.

¹ As a prisoner in the Lord, then, I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have received:

² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

³ and with diligence to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;

⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

¹¹ As long as Moses held up his hands, Israel prevailed; but when he lowered them, Amalek prevailed.

¹² When Moses’ hands grew heavy, they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur held his hands up, one on each side, so that his hands remained steady until the sun went down.

¹³ But exhort one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

¹⁴ We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly to the end the assurance we had at first.

²⁴ And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds.

²⁵ Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

¹ Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!

² It is like fine oil on the head, running down on the beard, running down Aaron’s beard over the collar of his robes.

³ It is like the dew of Hermon falling on the mountains of Zion. For there the LORD has bestowed the blessing of life forevermore.

⁵ Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you harmony with one another in Christ Jesus,

⁶ so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁷ Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring glory to God.

²² On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,

²³ and the parts we consider less honorable, we treat with greater honor. And our unpresentable parts are treated with special modesty,

²⁴ whereas our presentable parts have no such need. But God has composed the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it,

²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its members should have mutual concern for one another.

²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a member of it.

²⁸ And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, and those with gifts of healing, helping, administration, and various tongues.

²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?

⁴ Just as each of us has one body with many members, and not all members have the same function,

⁵ so in Christ we who are many are one body, and each member belongs to one another.

⁶ We have different gifts according to the grace given us. If one’s gift is prophecy, let him use it in proportion to his faith;

⁷ if it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;

⁸ if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is giving, let him give generously; if it is leading, let him lead with diligence; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

All these men of war, arrayed for battle, came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. And all the rest of the Israelites were of one mind to make David king.

¹⁶ Is not the cup of blessing that we bless a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?

¹⁷ Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one loaf.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

¹² The body is a unit, though it is composed of many parts. And although its parts are many, they all form one body. So it is with Christ.

¹³ For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, and we were all given one Spirit to drink.

¹⁴ For the body does not consist of one part, but of many.

¹⁵ If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.

¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.

¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And this fellowship of ours is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.

⁴ As you come to Him, the living stone, rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight,

⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

¹⁰ He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.

¹¹ Therefore encourage and build one another up, just as you are already doing.

¹² But we ask you, brothers, to acknowledge those who work diligently among you, who preside over you in the Lord and give you instruction.

¹³ In love, hold them in highest regard because of their work. Live in peace with one another.

¹⁴ And we urge you, brothers, to admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, and be patient with everyone.

¹⁴ For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility

¹⁵ by abolishing in His flesh the law of commandments and decrees. He did this to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace

¹⁶ and reconciling both of them to God in one body through the cross, by which He extinguished their hostility.

¹⁷ He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.

¹⁸ For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

¹⁹ Therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household,

²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.

⁴¹ Those who embraced his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to the believers that day.

⁴² They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

⁴³ A sense of awe came over everyone, and the apostles performed many wonders and signs.

⁴⁴ All the believers were together and had everything in common.

⁴⁵ Selling their possessions and goods, they shared with anyone who was in need.

⁴⁶ With one accord they continued to meet daily in the temple courts and to break bread from house to house, sharing their meals with gladness and sincerity of heart,

⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

The multitude of believers was one in heart and soul. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they owned.

All his brothers and sisters and prior acquaintances came and dined with him in his house. They consoled him and comforted him over all the adversity that the LORD had brought upon him. And each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.

¹⁴ With one accord they all continued in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

¹⁵ In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (a gathering of about a hundred and twenty) and said,

¹⁶ “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit foretold through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus.

¹⁴ There we found some brothers who invited us to spend the week with them. And so we came to Rome.

¹⁵ The brothers there had heard about us and traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. When Paul saw them, he was encouraged and gave thanks to God.

¹² “Come, have breakfast,” Jesus said to them. None of the disciples dared to ask Him, “Who are You?” They knew it was the Lord.

¹³ Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and He did the same with the fish.

After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.

My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.

¹⁷ In the following instructions I have no praise to offer, because your gatherings do more harm than good.

¹⁸ First of all, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.

¹⁹ And indeed, there must be differences among you to show which of you are approved.

²⁰ Now then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat.

“If the Arameans are too strong for me,” said Joab, “then you will come to my rescue. And if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to your rescue.

So the disciples, each according to his ability, decided to send relief to the brothers living in Judea.

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

On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Since Paul was ready to leave the next day, he talked to them and kept on speaking until midnight.

³³ Sometimes you were publicly exposed to ridicule and persecution; at other times you were partners with those who were so treated.

³⁴ You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, knowing that you yourselves had a better and permanent possession.

⁴⁸ But Jesus replied, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?”

⁴⁹ Pointing to His disciples, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers.

Then I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people: “The work is great and extensive, and we are spread out far from one another along the wall.

So if you consider me a partner, receive him as you would receive me.

¹¹ For I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you,

¹² that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.

I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, brimming with knowledge, and able to instruct one another.

They spent three days there eating and drinking with David, for their relatives had provided for them.