Study Desk

All the other apostles are greater than I am. I am not even good enough to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

The churches in Asia send greetings to you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you in the Lord, as does the church that meets in their house.

From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus. I am an apostle because that is what God wanted. Also from Timothy our brother in Christ. To the church of God in Corinth, and to all of God's people everywhere in Southern Greece:

You have heard about my past life in the Jewish religion. I attacked the church of God and tried to destroy it.

God put everything under his power and made him the head over everything for the church,

which is Christ's body. The church is filled with Christ, and Christ fills everything in every way.

His purpose was that through the church all the rulers and powers in the heavenly world will now know God's wisdom, which has so many forms.

To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time, forever and ever. Amen.

because the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church. And he is the Savior of the body, which is the church.

As the church yields to Christ, so you wives should yield to your husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it

to make it belong to God. Christ used the word to make the church clean by washing it with water.

He died so that he could give the church to himself like a bride in all her beauty. He died so that the church could be pure and without fault, with no evil or sin or any other wrong thing in it.

No one ever hates his own body, but feeds and takes care of it. And that is what Christ does for the church,

That secret is very important—I am talking about Christ and the church.

I was so enthusiastic I tried to hurt the church. No one could find fault with the way I obeyed the law of Moses.

You Philippians remember when I first preached the Good News there. When I left Macedonia, you were the only church that gave me help.

He is the head of the body, which is the church. Everything comes from him. He is the first one who was raised from the dead. So in all things Jesus has first place.

I am happy in my sufferings for you. There are things that Christ must still suffer through his body, the church. I am accepting, in my body, my part of these things that must be suffered.

I became a servant of the church because God gave me a special work to do that helps you, and that work is to tell fully the message of God.