Study Desk

From Miletus, Paul sent a message for the church leaders at Ephesus to come and meet with him.

Look after yourselves and everyone the Holy Spirit has placed in your care. Be like shepherds to God's church. It is the flock that he bought with the blood of his own Son.

Paul went with us to see James the next day, and all the church leaders were present.

I have good things to say about Phoebe, who is a leader in the church at Cenchreae.

Greet the church that meets in their home. Greet my dear friend Epaenetus, who was the first person in Asia to have faith in Christ.

My friends, I beg you to watch out for anyone who causes trouble and divides the church by refusing to do what all of you were taught. Stay away from them!

Gaius welcomes me and the whole church into his home, and he sends his greetings. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our dear friend Quartus send their greetings too.

To God's church in Corinth. Christ Jesus chose you to be his very own people, and you worship in his name, as we and all others do who call him Lord.

That's why I sent Timothy to you. I love him like a son, and he is a faithful servant of the Lord. Timothy will tell you what I do to follow Christ and how it agrees with what I always teach about Christ in every church.

Why should I judge outsiders? Aren't we supposed to judge only church members?

Why do you take everyday complaints to judges who are not respected by the church?

In every church I tell the people to stay as they were when the Lord Jesus chose them and God called them to be his own. Now I say the same thing to you.

Don't cause problems for Jews or Greeks or anyone else who belongs to God's church.

Don't you have homes where you can eat and drink? Do you hate God's church? Do you want to embarrass people who don't have anything? What can I say to you? I certainly cannot praise you.

First, God chose some people to be apostles and prophets and teachers for the church. But he also chose some to work miracles or heal the sick or help others or be leaders or speak different kinds of languages.

By speaking languages that others don't know, you help only yourself. But by prophesying you help everyone in the church.

I am glad for you to speak unknown languages, although I had rather for you to prophesy. In fact, prophesying does much more good than speaking unknown languages, unless someone can help the church by explaining what you mean.

If you really want spiritual gifts, choose the ones that will be most helpful to the church.

But words that make sense can help the church. That's why in church I had rather speak five words that make sense than to speak ten thousand words in a language that others don't know.

If no one can explain, you must keep silent in church and speak only to yourself and to God.