Jesus Calls the First Disciples

^18 (A)While walking by ^(B)the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you ^(C)fishers of men.”^{[a] 20} Immediately they left their nets and followed him. ²¹ And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. ²² Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

The Great Commission

¹⁶ Now the eleven disciples ^(A)went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. ¹⁷ And when they saw him they ^(B)worshiped him, but some doubted. ¹⁸ And Jesus came and said to them, ^(C)“All authority ^(D)in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ^19 (E)Go therefore and ^(F)make disciples of ^(G)all nations, ^(H)baptizing them ^(I)in^{[a] (J)}the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them ^(K)to observe all that ^(L)I have commanded you. And behold, ^(M)I am with you always, to ^(N)the end of the age.”

The Twelve Apostles

¹² In these days ^(A)he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. ¹³ And when day came, ^(B)he called his disciples ^(C)and ^(D)chose from them twelve, whom he named ^(E)apostles: ¹⁴ Simon, ^(F)whom he named Peter, and ^(G)Andrew his brother, and ^(H)James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, ¹⁵ and ^(I)Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called ^(J)the Zealot, ¹⁶ and ^(K)Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

^6 (A)“I have manifested your name to the people ^(B)whom you gave me out of the world. ^(C)Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. ⁷ Now they know that everything ^(D)that you have given me is from you. ⁸ For I have given them ^(E)the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that ^(F)I came from you; and ^(G)they have believed that you sent me. ⁹ I am praying for them. ^(H)I am not praying for the world but for those ^(I)whom you have given me, for ^(J)they are yours. ^10 (K)All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and ^(L)I am glorified in them. ¹¹ And I am no longer in the world, but ^(M)they are in the world, and ^(N)I am coming to you. ^(O)Holy Father, ^(P)keep them in your name, ^(Q)which you have given me, ^(R)that they may be one, ^(S)even as we are one. ^12 (T)While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have ^(U)guarded them, and ^(V)not one of them has been lost except ^(W)the son of destruction, ^(X)that the Scripture might be fulfilled. ¹³ But now ^(Y)I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have ^(Z)my joy fulfilled in themselves. ^14 (AA)I have given them your word, and ^(AB)the world has hated them ^(AC)because they are not of the world, ^(AD)just as I am not of the world. ¹⁵ I ^(AE)do not ask that you ^(AF)take them out of the world, but that you ^(AG)keep them from ^(AH)the evil one.^{[a] 16 (AI)}They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ^17 (AJ)Sanctify them^[b] in the truth; ^(AK)your word is truth. ^18 (AL)As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ And ^(AM)for their sake ^(AN)I consecrate myself,^[c] that they also ^(AO)may be sanctified^[d] in truth.

²² The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. ²³ When he came and saw ^(A)the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord ^(B)with steadfast purpose, ²⁴ for he was a good man, ^(C)full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people ^(D)were added to the Lord. ²⁵ So Barnabas went to ^(E)Tarsus to look for Saul, ²⁶ and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called ^(F)Christians.

³⁹ And there arose ^(A)a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. ^(B)Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, ⁴⁰ but Paul chose Silas and departed, ^(C)having been commended by ^(D)the brothers to ^(E)the grace of the Lord. ⁴¹ And he went through Syria and Cilicia, ^(F)strengthening the churches.

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

16 Paul^[a] came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named ^(G)Timothy, ^(H)the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. ² He was well spoken of by ^(I)the brothers^[b] at Lystra and Iconium. ³ Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he ^(J)took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. ⁴ As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance ^(K)the decisions ^(L)that had been reached by ^(M)the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. ^5 (N)So the churches were strengthened in ^(O)the faith, and they increased in numbers ^(P)daily.

¹¹ And ^(A)he gave the ^(B)apostles, the prophets, the ^(C)evangelists, the ^(D)shepherds^[a] and teachers,^{[b] 12 (E)}to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for ^(F)building up ^(G)the body of Christ, ¹³ until we all attain to ^(H)the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, ^(I)to mature manhood,^[c] to the measure of the stature of ^(J)the fullness of Christ, ¹⁴ so that we may no longer be children, ^(K)tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in ^(L)deceitful schemes. ¹⁵ Rather, ^(M)speaking the truth in love, we are to ^(N)grow up in every way into him who is ^(O)the head, into Christ, ^16 (P)from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, ^(Q)when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Timothy and Epaphroditus

¹⁹ I hope in the Lord Jesus ^(A)to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. ²⁰ For I have no one ^(B)like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. ²¹ For they all ^(C)seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. ²² But you know Timothy's^{[a] (D)}proven worth, how ^(E)as a son^[b] with a father ^(F)he has served with me in the gospel. ²³ I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me, ²⁴ and ^(G)I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also.

²⁵ I have thought it necessary to send to you ^(H)Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and ^(I)fellow soldier, and your messenger and ^(J)minister to my need, ²⁶ for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. ²⁷ Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. ²⁸ I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. ²⁹ So ^(K)receive him in the Lord with all joy, and ^(L)honor such men, ³⁰ for he nearly died^{[c] (M)}for the work of Christ, risking his life ^(N)to complete what was lacking in your service to me.

Greeting

1 Paul, ^(A)an apostle of Christ Jesus ^(B)by the will of God according to ^(C)the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus,

² To Timothy, ^(D)my beloved child:

^(E)Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Guard the Deposit Entrusted to You

^3 (F)I thank God ^(G)whom I serve, as did my ancestors, ^(H)with a clear conscience, as I remember you ^(I)constantly in my prayers night and day. ^4 (J)As I remember your tears, ^(K)I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. ⁵ I am reminded of ^(L)your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and ^(M)your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. ⁶ For this reason I remind you ^(N)to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, ⁷ for God gave us ^(O)a spirit not of fear but ^(P)of power and love and self-control.

⁸ Therefore ^(Q)do not be ashamed of ^(R)the testimony about our Lord, nor of ^(S)me his prisoner, but ^(T)share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, ^9 (U)who saved us and ^(V)called us to^[a] a holy calling, ^(W)not because of our works but because of ^(X)his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus ^(Y)before the ages began,^{[b] 10} and which now has ^(Z)been manifested through ^(AA)the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, ^(AB)who abolished death and ^(AC)brought life and ^(AD)immortality to light through the gospel, ^11 (AE)for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, ^12 (AF)which is why I suffer as I do. But ^(AG)I am not ashamed, for ^(AH)I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until ^(AI)that day ^(AJ)what has been entrusted to me.^{[c] 13 (AK)}Follow ^(AL)the pattern of ^(AM)the sound^[d] words ^(AN)that you have heard from me, in ^(AO)the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ By the Holy Spirit ^(AP)who dwells within us, guard ^(AQ)the good deposit entrusted to you.