Together,
we are his house,
built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets.
And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.
We are carefully joined together in him,
becoming a holy temple for the Lord.
Together,
we are his house,
built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets.
And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.
We are carefully joined together in him,
becoming a holy temple for the Lord.
Jesus gave his life for our sins,
just as God our Father planned,
in order to rescue us from this evil world
in which we live.
All glory to God forever and ever!
Amen.
Be joyful.
Grow to maturity.
Encourage each other.
Live in harmony and peace.
Then the God of love and peace will be with you.
We use God’s mighty weapons,
not worldly weapons,
to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning
and to destroy false arguments.
We destroy every proud obstacle
that keeps people from knowing God…
God is not a man,
so he does not lie.
He is not human,
so he does not change his mind.
Has he ever spoken and failed to act?
Has he ever promised and not carried it through?
You know the generous grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Though he was rich,
yet for your sakes he became poor,
so that by his poverty
he could make you rich.
So we are Christ’s ambassadors;
God is making his appeal through us.
We speak for Christ when we plead,
“Come back to God!”
He died for everyone
so that those who receive his new life
will no longer live for themselves.
Instead,
they will live for Christ,
who died and was raised for them.
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ
has become a new person.
The old life is gone;
a new life has begun!
For God says,
“At just the right time,
I heard you.
On the day of salvation,
I helped you.”
Indeed,
the “right time” is now.
Today is the day of salvation.
“Sovereign Lord,
now let your servant die in peace,
as you have promised.
I have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared for all people.
He is a light to reveal God to the nations,
and he is the glory of your people Israel!”