Book of Common Prayer

Overseers Must Be Above Reproach

3 The saying is trustworthy— if anyone aspires-to the office-of-overseer, he desires a good work. ² Therefore the overseer must be above-reproach^[a], a man of one woman^[b], sober^[c], sound-minded^[d], respectable^[e], hospitable, skillful-at-teaching, ³ not a drunken^[f] one, not a brawler^[g], but kind, non-quarrelsome^[h], not-a-money-lover, ⁴ leading his own household well^[i], having children in submission, with all dignity (⁵ but if one does not know-how to lead his own household, how will he take-care-of a church of God?), ⁶ not a new-convert, in order that he may not fall into the judgment of ^[j] the devil, having become conceited^[k]. ⁷ And he must also have a good testimony from the ones outside, in order that he may not fall into reproach and a snare of the devil.

Deacons Must Be Honorable And Tested

⁸ Deacons similarly must be honorable^[l], not double-tongued^[m], not paying-attention-to^[n] much wine, not fond-of-shameful-gain, ⁹ holding the mystery of the faith with a clean conscience. ¹⁰ And let these also first be tested, then let them be serving^[o], being blameless. ¹¹ Their wives^[p] similarly must be honorable, not slanderous, sober, faithful in all things. ¹² Let deacons be men of one woman, leading their children and their own households well. ¹³ For the ones having served well obtain for themselves a good standing^[q] and great confidence^[r] in their^[s] faith in Christ Jesus.

I Am Writing So You Will Know How To Conduct Yourself In The Church

¹⁴ I am writing these things to you hoping to come to you quickly, ¹⁵ but in-case I am slow^[t], in order that you may know how you ought-to conduct-yourself ^[u] in the household of God— which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support^[v] of the truth.

God Was Revealed In The Flesh, But Some Will Depart From The Faith And Good Teaching

¹⁶ And the mystery of godliness is confessedly great: Who^[w] was revealed^[x] in the flesh, was declared-righteous^[y] in the spirit^[z]; was seen^[aa] by messengers^[ab], was proclaimed among the nations; was believed in the world, was taken-up in glory.

¹⁸ Therefore, He was saying, “To what is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I liken it? ¹⁹ It is like a seed of a mustard-plant which, having taken, a man threw into his own garden. And it grew and became a tree. And the birds of the heaven nested in its branches”. ²⁰ And again He said, “To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? ²¹ It is like leaven, which having taken, a woman concealed^[a] into three measures of wheat-flour until which time the whole thing was leavened”.

Enter Through The Narrow Door Before It Is Too Late

²² And He was journeying-through according to cities and villages, teaching and making the journey to Jerusalem. ²³ And someone said to Him, “Master, are the ones being saved few?” And the One said to them, ²⁴ “Be striving to enter through the narrow door, because many, I say to you, will seek to enter, and will not be able. ²⁵ From whatever time the house-master arises and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and to be knocking on the door saying ‘Master, open for us’, and having responded, he will say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from’— ²⁶ then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught on our wide-roads’. ²⁷ And he will speak, saying to you, ‘I do not know you— where you are from. Depart from me, all you workers of unrighteousness’. ²⁸ In that place, there will be the weeping and the grinding of teeth when you shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you being thrown outside. ²⁹ And they will come from east and west, and from north and south, and lie back [to eat] in the kingdom of God. ³⁰ And behold— there are last ones who will be first, and there are first ones who will be last”.