Book of Common Prayer
36 “So the whole house of Israel must know this for a fact: God has made him Lord and Messiah—this Jesus, the one you crucified.”
God’s rescue plan
37 When they heard this, the people in the crowd were cut to the heart.
“Brothers,” they said to Peter and the other apostles, “what shall we do?”
38 “Turn back!” replied Peter. “Be baptized—every single one of you—in the name of Jesus the Messiah, so that your sins can be forgiven, and you will receive the gift of the holy spirit. 39 The promise is for you and for your children, and for everyone who is far away, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
40 He carried on explaining things to them with many other words.
“Let God rescue you,” he was urging them, “from this wicked generation!”
41 Those who welcomed his word were baptized. About three thousand people were added to the community that day.
The new family
42 They all gave full attention to the teaching of the apostles and to the common life, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 Great awe fell on everyone, and many remarkable deeds and signs were performed by the apostles.
44 All of those who believed came together, and held everything in common. 45 They sold their possessions and belongings and divided them up to everyone in proportion to their various needs. 46 Day by day they were all together attending the Temple. They broke bread in their various houses, and ate their food with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and standing in favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being rescued.
15 “If you love me,” he went on, “you will keep my commands. 16 Then I will ask the father, and he will give you another helper, to be with you forever. 17 This other helper is the spirit of truth. The world can’t receive him, because it doesn’t see him or know him. But you know him, because he lives with you, and will be in you.
18 “I’m not going to leave you bereft. I am coming to you. 19 Not long from now, the world won’t see me anymore; but you will see me. Because I live, you will live too. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my father, and you in me, and I in you.
21 “Anyone who has my commandments and keeps them—that’s the person who loves me. Anyone who loves me will be loved by my father, and I will love them and show myself to them.”
My peace I give to you
22 Judas spoke up. (This was the other Judas, not Iscariot.)
“Master,” he said, “how will it be that you will show yourself to us and not to the world?”
23 “If anyone loves me,” Jesus replied, “they will keep my word. My father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who doesn’t love me won’t keep my word. And the word which you hear isn’t mine. It comes from the father, who sent me.
25 “I’ve said all this to you while I’m here with you. 26 But the helper, the holy spirit, the one the father will send in my name, he will teach you everything. He will bring back to your mind everything I’ve said to you.
27 “I’m leaving you peace. I’m giving you my own peace. I don’t give gifts in the way the world does. Don’t let your hearts be troubled; don’t be fearful. 28 You heard that I said to you, ‘I’m going away, and I’m coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be happy that I’m going to the father—because the father is greater than me. 29 And now I’ve told you before it happens, so that when it does happen, you may believe.
30 “I haven’t got much more to say to you. The ruler of the world is coming. He has nothing to do with me. 31 But all this is happening so that the world may know that I love the father, and that I’m doing what the father has told me to do.
“Get up. Let’s be going.”
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.