Book of Common Prayer
Paul in Ephesus
19 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples, 2 and said to them, “Did you receive the holy spirit when you believed?”
“We had not heard,” they replied, “that there was a ‘holy spirit.’ ”
3 “Well then,” said Paul, “into what were you baptized?”
“Into John’s baptism,” they replied.
4 “John baptized with a baptism of repentance for the people,” said Paul, “speaking about the one who was to come after him, and saying that that person would be the one that people should believe in—and that means Jesus.”
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of Jesus. 6 Paul then laid his hands on them, and the holy spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
8 Paul went into the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing and persuading them about the kingdom of God. 9 But when some of them were hard-hearted, and wouldn’t believe, and made wicked allegations about the Way in front of everybody else, Paul left them. He took the disciples with him, and argued every day in the lecture-hall of Tyrannus. 10 He did this for two years, so that all the inhabitants of Asia, Jews and Greeks alike, heard the word of the Lord.
34 He called the crowd to him, with his disciples. “If any of you want to come the way I’m going,” he said, “you must say ‘no’ to your own selves, pick up your cross, and follow me. 35 Yes: if you want to save your life, you’ll lose it; but if you lose your life because of me and the message you’ll save it. 36 After all, what use is it to win the world and lose your life? 37 What can you give in exchange for your life? 38 If you’re ashamed of me and my words in this cheating and sinning generation, the son of man will be ashamed of you when he ‘comes in the glory of his father with the holy angels.’
9 “I’m telling you the truth,” he said; “some people standing here won’t experience death before they see God’s kingdom come in power.”
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.