Book of Common Prayer

10 My brothers, here is something you should know. Long ago, all our fathers were led by the cloud of God over them. They all went through the Red Sea.

² It was as if they were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.

³ They all ate the same food from the Spirit.

⁴ They all drank the same water sent by the Spirit. The water they drank came from a Rock of the Spirit which went with them. That Rock was Christ.

⁵ But God was not pleased with most of them. They died in the wilderness.

⁶ This teaches us not to want wrong things as they did.

⁷ Do not worship idols, as some of them did. The holy writings say, `The people sat down to eat and drink. Then they got up and danced.'

⁸ We must not use sex the wrong way as some of them did. Twenty-three thousand people died in one day!

⁹ We must not test the Lord, as some of them did. They were bitten by bad snakes and died!

¹⁰ Do not grumble, as some of them did. They were killed by the Angel of Death!

¹¹ These things happened to them to teach other people. They were written in the holy writings to teach us who are living in the last days of the world.

¹² Therefore, when a person thinks, `I am strong; I can stand,' let that person be careful, or he will fall.

¹³ No testing has come to you that other people do not have. But God will not fail you. He will not allow the testing to be too hard for you. No. When the testing comes, God will make a way out for you, so that you can go through the testing.

¹³ Jesus went to the country of Caesarea Philippi. He asked his disciples, `I am the Son of Man. Whom do people say I am?'

¹⁴ They answered, `Some people say you are John the Baptizer. Others say you are Elijah. And others say you are Jeremiah or one of the prophets.'

¹⁵ Jesus said to them, `Whom do you say I am?'

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, `You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'

¹⁷ Jesus answered, `Simon, Jonah's son, God has blessed you. No person on earth has showed you this. But my Father in heaven has showed you.

¹⁸ I tell you this. You are Peter. On this rock I will build my church. The power of death will not destroy it.

¹⁹ I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. What you tie on earth will be tied in heaven. What you set free on earth will be set free in heaven.'

²⁰ Then Jesus said to the disciples, `Do not tell anyone that I am the Christ.'