The open secret of the seven stars that you have seen in my right hand, and of the seven golden lampstands, is this: The seven stars are the messengers of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

and among the lampstands One resembling the Son of Man, wearing a robe that reached to His feet, and with a belt of gold around His breast.

Because there is only one loaf, so we, though many, are only one body, for we all partake of one loaf.

There is no room for Jew or Greek, no room for slave or freeman, no room for male or female, for you are all one through union with Christ Jesus.

so we, though many, are united in one body through union with Christ, and we are individually parts of one another.

For just as the human body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts of the body, many as they are, constitute but one body, so it is with Christ.

And I, yes I, tell you, your name from now on is to be Peter, Rock, and on a massive rock like this I will build my church, and the powers of the underworld shall never overthrow it.

for you are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself the cornerstone.

for no one can lay any other foundation than the one that is laid, that is, Jesus Christ Himself.

Keep on coming to Him, as to a living stone, rejected by men but chosen by God and precious in His sight, and keep on building yourselves up, as living stones, into a spiritual house for a consecrated priesthood, to offer up, through Jesus Christ, spiritual sacrifices that will be acceptable to God.

and not with blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He once for all went into the real sanctuary and secured our eternal redemption.

Take care of yourselves and of the whole flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, so as to continue to be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood.

You married men must love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her,

Whoever speaks in ecstasy builds up himself alone, but whoever prophesies builds up the congregation too.

Therefore, the man who speaks in ecstasy must pray for power to explain what he says.

to consecrate her, after cleansing her through His word, as pictured in the water bath, that He might present the church to Himself as a splendid bride without a blot or wrinkle or anything like it, but to be consecrated and faultless.

And these are just the characters some of you used to be. But now you have washed yourselves clean, you have been consecrated, you are now in right standing with God, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God.

You married men must love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her,

Saul heartily approved of his being put to death. So on that day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all of them, except the apostles, were scattered over Judea and Samaria. Some devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation for him. But Saul continued to harass the church, and by going from house to house and dragging off men and women he continued to put them into prison.

For you, brothers, followed the example of God's churches in Judea that are in union with Christ Jesus, for you too have suffered the same sort of ill-treatment at the hands of your fellow-countrymen as they did at the hands of the Jews, who killed the Lord Jesus and persecuted the prophets and us; and who continue to displease God and show themselves in opposition to all mankind,

for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and faith. So a large number of people were united to the Lord.

but still a vast number of people, both men and women, who believed in the Lord, continued to join them,

For you will not forsake my soul to Hades. Nor will you let your Holy One experience decay.

And He has given some men to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, some to be pastors and teachers, for the immediate equipment of God's people for the work of service, for the ultimate building up of the body of Christ,

I am now glad to be suffering for you, and in my own person I am filling in what is lacking in Christ's sufferings for His body, that is, the church.

which is His body, that is being filled by Him who fills everything everywhere.

Now I am going to tell you, brothers, of God's spiritual blessing which was given in the churches of Macedonia,

And so He has put all things under His feet and made Him the supreme Head of the church,

for a husband is the head of his wife, just as Christ is the Head of the church, His body, and Saviour of it.

that He might present the church to Himself as a splendid bride without a blot or wrinkle or anything like it, but to be consecrated and faultless.

So, my brothers, you too in the body of Christ have ended your relation to the law, so that you may be married to another husband, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.

Just as the church is subject to Christ, so the married women in everything must be subject to their husbands.

For by one Spirit all of us, Jews or Greeks, slaves or freemen, have been baptized into one body, and were all imbued with one Spirit.

It is not that you have no houses to eat and drink in, is it? Or, are you trying to show your contempt for the church of God and trying to humiliate those who have no houses? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? No, I cannot praise you for this.

If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is sacred to Him, and you are that temple.

Permission has been granted her to dress in clean, brilliant linen, for linen signifies the upright deeds of God's people."

be glory in the church and through Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

so that the many phases of God's wisdom may now through the church be made known to the rulers and authorities in heaven,

so that, if I am detained, you may know how people ought to conduct themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

Your sister-church in Babylon, chosen along with you, and Mark my son, wish to be remembered to you.

Take care of yourselves and of the whole flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, so as to continue to be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood.

so that, if I am detained, you may know how people ought to conduct themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

Because there is only one loaf, so we, though many, are only one body, for we all partake of one loaf.

You must clean out the old yeast, that you may be a fresh lump, as you are to be free from the old yeast. For our Passover Lamb, Christ, has already been sacrificed.