Book of Common Prayer

¹⁵ Here is why I always thank God for you. I have heard that you believe in the Lord Jesus and love all of God's people. I think of you when I talk to God.

¹⁶ He is the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father who is very great and wonderful. I ask him to give you a mind that is wise and will understand about him.

¹⁷ I ask him that you may understand these things in your hearts. I ask him that you may know what a great hope you have because God has called you. I ask him that you may know the rich and great blessings God has promised to his people.

¹⁸ I ask him that you may know the wonderful power he has to do things for us who believe in Christ. His power is very strong.

¹⁹ God used that power when he raised Christ from death and had him sit at his right side in heaven.

²⁰ He is greater than any ruler, power, chief, or king. His name is greater than any other name, not only in this world, but in the world that will come.

²¹ And God has put all things under Christ. He has made him the head of the church people in all matters.

²² The church [all the people who believe in Jesus Christ] is his body. The church people have everything that Christ has. He is the One who is in everything everywhere.

¹⁴ John was put in prison. Then Jesus went to Galilee. He told people the good news of God's kingdom.

¹⁵ `The time has come,' he said. `The kingdom of God is here. Stop your wrong ways, turn back to God and believe the good news.'

¹⁶ Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee. There he saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were throwing a fishing net into the water. Their work was to catch fish.

¹⁷ Jesus said to them, `Come with me. The work I give you will be to catch people.'

¹⁸ Right away they left their nets and went with him.

¹⁹ Jesus went on from there and saw James and his brother John. Their father's name was Zebedee. They were in a boat mending their nets.

²⁰ Jesus called them. Right away they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the workmen and went with Jesus.

²¹ They went to the town of Capernaum. As soon as it was the Sabbath day, Jesus went into their meeting house and taught the people.

²² They were very much surprised at his teaching because he taught them as if he had the right to teach them. He did not teach them like their teachers called scribes.

²³ A man who had a bad spirit in him was in the meeting house at that time.

²⁴ He called out, `Jesus of Nazareth, what do you want to do to us? Have you come to kill us? I know who you are. You are the Holy One of God.'

²⁵ Jesus said to the spirit, `Be quiet! Come out of him!'

²⁶ The bad spirit threw the man around. It called out loud and then it came out of the man.

²⁷ The people were all surprised. They said one to another, `What is this? Is not this a new teaching? He tells the bad spirits what to do and even they obey him'

²⁸ The people all around Galilee heard right away about Jesus.