Acts 20:28
New Living Translation
28 “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood[a]—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders.[b]
Read full chapter
1 Peter 5:2-3
New Living Translation
2 Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. 3 Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example.
Read full chapter
1 Timothy 4:16
New Living Translation
16 Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.
Read full chapter
Isaiah 40:11
New Living Translation
11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd.
He will carry the lambs in his arms,
holding them close to his heart.
He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.
Acts 13:2
New Living Translation
2 One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.”
Read full chapter
1 Peter 1:18-19
New Living Translation
18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. 19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.
Read full chapter
1 Corinthians 10:32
New Living Translation
32 Don’t give offense to Jews or Gentiles[a] or the church of God.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 10:32 Greek or Greeks.
1 Timothy 5:17
New Living Translation
17 Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well,[a] especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 5:17 Greek should be worthy of double honor.
1 Timothy 3:2
New Living Translation
2 So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife.[a] He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach.
Read full chapter
Philippians 1:1
New Living Translation
Greetings from Paul
1 This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus.
I am writing to all of God’s holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the church leaders[a] and deacons.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1:1 Or overseers, or bishops.
Luke 12:32
New Living Translation
32 “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.
Read full chapter
Micah 7:14
New Living Translation
The Lord’s Compassion on Israel
14 O Lord, protect your people with your shepherd’s staff;
lead your flock, your special possession.
Though they live alone in a thicket
on the heights of Mount Carmel,[a]
let them graze in the fertile pastures of Bashan and Gilead
as they did long ago.
Footnotes
- 7:14 Or surrounded by a fruitful land.
Hebrews 13:17
New Living Translation
17 Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.
Read full chapter
Ephesians 1:7
New Living Translation
7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.
Read full chapter
Acts 20:29
New Living Translation
29 I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock.
Read full chapter
Micah 5:4
New Living Translation
4 And he will stand to lead his flock with the Lord’s strength,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
Then his people will live there undisturbed,
for he will be highly honored around the world.
Revelation 5:9
New Living Translation
9 And they sang a new song with these words:
“You are worthy to take the scroll
and break its seals and open it.
For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
1 Peter 2:25
New Living Translation
25 Once you were like sheep
who wandered away.
But now you have turned to your Shepherd,
the Guardian of your souls.
1 Peter 2:9
New Living Translation
9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests,[a] a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2:9 Greek a royal priesthood.
Titus 1:7
New Living Translation
7 A church leader[a] is a manager of God’s household, so he must live a blameless life. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered; he must not be a heavy drinker,[b] violent, or dishonest with money.
Read full chapter
1 Timothy 3:15-16
New Living Translation
15 so that if I am delayed, you will know how people must conduct themselves in the household of God. This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth.
16 Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith[a]:
Christ[b] was revealed in a human body
and vindicated by the Spirit.[c]
He was seen by angels
and announced to the nations.
He was believed in throughout the world
and taken to heaven in glory.
1 Timothy 3:5
New Living Translation
5 For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church?
Read full chapter
1 Corinthians 15:9
New Living Translation
9 For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.
Read full chapter
1 Corinthians 12:28-31
New Living Translation
28 Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church:
first are apostles,
second are prophets,
third are teachers,
then those who do miracles,
those who have the gift of healing,
those who can help others,
those who have the gift of leadership,
those who speak in unknown languages.
29 Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles? 30 Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not! 31 So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts.
But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all.
Read full chapter
1 Corinthians 12:8-11
New Living Translation
8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice[a]; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.[b] 9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages,[c] while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
Read full chapterHoly Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.