The Glorious New Creation

God Redeems Jerusalem

³ For thus says the Lord:

⁴ For thus says the Lord God:

Jesus Appears to His Disciples^(A)

^36 (B)Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” ³⁷ But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen ^(C)a spirit. ³⁸ And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹ Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. ^(D)Handle Me and see, for a ^(E)spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”

^40 [a]When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. ⁴¹ But while they still did not believe ^(F)for joy, and marveled, He said to them, ^(G)“Have you any food here?” ⁴² So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish ^[b]and some honeycomb. ^43 (H)And He took it and ate in their presence.

The Scriptures Opened

⁴⁴ Then He said to them, ^(I)“These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” ⁴⁵ And ^(J)He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.

⁴⁶ Then He said to them, ^(K)“Thus it is written, ^[c]and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, ⁴⁷ and that repentance and ^(L)remission of sins should be preached in His name ^(M)to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ And ^(N)you are witnesses of these things. ^49 (O)Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city ^[d]of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”

The Ascension^(P)

⁵⁰ And He led them out ^(Q)as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. ^51 (R)Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. ^52 (S)And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, ⁵³ and were continually ^(T)in the temple ^[e]praising and blessing God. ^[f]Amen.

Walk in Unity

4 I, therefore, the prisoner ^[a]of the Lord, ^[b]beseech you to ^(A)walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, ² with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, ³ endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit ^(B)in the bond of peace. ^4 (C)There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; ^5 (D)one Lord, ^(E)one faith, ^(F)one baptism; ^6 (G)one God and Father of all, who is above all, and ^(H)through all, and in ^[c]you all.

Spiritual Gifts

⁷ But ^(I)to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. ⁸ Therefore He says:

^9 (K)(Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also ^[d]first descended into the lower parts of the earth? ¹⁰ He who descended is also the One ^(L)who ascended far above all the heavens, ^(M)that He might fill all things.)

¹¹ And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, ^(N)for the ^[e]edifying of ^(O)the body of Christ, ¹³ till we all come to the unity of the faith ^(P)and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to ^(Q)a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴ that we should no longer be ^(R)children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of ^(S)deceitful plotting, ¹⁵ but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the ^(T)head—Christ— ^16 (U)from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.