Book of Common Prayer
For This Reason, I Paul, a Prisoner of Christ For You Gentiles...
3 For this reason, I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you the Gentiles—
For I Am a Steward of God’s Plan To Make Gentiles Partakers of His Promises
2 ... if indeed you heard-of the stewardship[a] of the grace of God having been given[b] to me for you, 3 that by way of revelation the mystery was made-known to me (just as I wrote-before in brief, 4 with reference to which you are able, while reading, to perceive my understanding in[c] the mystery of Christ) 5 which in other generations was not made-known to the sons of humans as it was now revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit— 6 that the Gentiles are fellow-heirs and fellow-body-members and fellow-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the good-news, 7 of which I was made a minister[d] in-accordance-with the gift of the grace of God having been given[e] to me by-way-of the working of His power.
It Was Granted To Me To Enlighten Everyone To See The Creator’s Long Hidden Plan
8 This grace was given to me, the less-than-least of all saints, that I might announce-as-good-news to the Gentiles the untraceable riches of Christ, 9 and enlighten everyone to see what is the stewardship[f] of the mystery having been hidden from the past ages in God, the One having created all things, 10 so that now the multifaceted wisdom of God might be made-known to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places through the church, 11 in-accordance-with the purpose of the ages[g] which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in Whom we have boldness and access in confidence through faith[h] in Him. 13 Therefore I ask that you not lose-heart in connection with my afflictions for-your-sake, which is your glory!
Jesus Calls Levi The Tax Collector And Eats With His Friends: I Came For Sinners
13 And He went out again beside the sea. And all the multitude[a] was coming to Him. And He was teaching them. 14 And while passing on He saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax-office[b]. And He says to him “Be following Me!” And having stood-up, he followed Him. 15 And it comes about that He was reclining [to eat] in his[c] house. And many tax-collectors and sinners were reclining-back-with Jesus and His disciples. For there were many, and they were following Him. 16 And the scribes of the Pharisees, having seen that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, were saying to His disciples “Why is it that[d] He is eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” 17 And having heard, Jesus says to them that “The ones being strong have no need of a physician, but the ones being ill. I did not come to call righteous ones, but sinners”.
Why Do Your Disciples Not Fast? The Bridegroom Is Here. New Wine Needs New Wineskins
18 And the disciples of John and the Pharisees[e] were fasting. And they come and say to Him, “For what reason are the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fasting, but Your disciples are not fasting?” 19 And Jesus said to them, “The sons of the wedding-hall[f] cannot be fasting while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long a time as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot be fasting. 20 But days will come when the bridegroom is taken-away from them, and then they will fast in that day. 21 No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise the fullness [of the patch] takes from it— the new from the old— and a worse tear[g] takes place. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the wine will burst the wineskins, and the wine is lost, and the wineskins. But one puts new wine into fresh[h] wineskins”.
Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing