Book of Common Prayer

³⁶ `So let all the people of Israel know this: God has made Jesus to be Lord and Christ. This is the same Jesus whom you nailed to the cross.'

³⁷ What Peter said cut the people's hearts when they heard it. They knew they had done wrong. They said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, `Brothers, what shall we do?'

³⁸ `Stop your wrong ways and turn back to God,' answered Peter. `And then everyone of you can be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ. Your wrong ways will be forgiven you, and you will receive the Holy Spirit.

³⁹ This promise is for you and your children and for all those whom the Lord our God calls, even though they are far away.'

⁴⁰ Peter went on talking and teaching the people. `Do not follow the wrong ways of people today,' he begged.

⁴¹ Then those who gladly received his words and believed were baptised. That same day about three thousand new believers joined them.

⁴² They kept on being taught by the apostles. And they kept on being with them. They ate bread together and talked with God.

⁴³ All the people were very much surprised. Many wonderful things and signs were done by the apostles.

⁴⁴ All the believers were together; and everything they had was for the use of all.

⁴⁵ They sold their things and divided the money among the believers. They gave each person what he needed. 46,

^46-47 nd every day the believers kept on gathering in the temple. They ate bread in each other's homes. They ate their food gladly and with open hearts. They praised God. All the people respected them. Day by day, the Lord added to the church those who were saved.

¹⁵ `If you love me, you will obey me.

¹⁶ I will ask my Father. He will give you another one to help you and to be with you always.

¹⁷ He will send you the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive the true Spirit because it does not see or know him. You know him because he is with you and will be in you.

¹⁸ `I will not leave you without someone to help you. And I myself will come back to you.

¹⁹ In a short time the world will not see me again, but you will see me again. Because I live, you will live also.

²⁰ At that time you will know that I am in my Father. You are in me, and I am in you.

²¹ `He who knows the things I tell him to do and does them, really loves me. My Father will love him and I also will love him. I will show him who I am.'

²² Judas (not Iscariot) said to Jesus, `Lord, how are you going to make yourself real to us, and not to the rest of the world?'

²³ Jesus said to him, `If a person loves me, he will obey me. My Father also will love him. And we will come to him and will live with him.

²⁴ The person who does not love me does not obey me. The word which you hear is not my word. It is my Father's word. He is the one who sent me.

²⁵ `I have told you these things while I am still with you.

²⁶ But the Holy Spirit is the one who will help you. My Father will send him in my name. He will teach you everything that I have said to you. His Helper will remind you of all that I said.

²⁷ Peace is what I leave for you. I give you my own peace. People of the world also say, "Peace" to you. I do not say it as they say it. Do not let anything trouble your hearts. Do not fear.

²⁸ You heard me say, "I am going away and then I will come back to you." If you really loved me, then you would have been very glad that I am going to my Father. My Father is greater than I am.

²⁹ `I have told you this before it happens. Then when it does happen, you will believe.

³⁰ After this I will not talk much with you. The ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me.

³¹ I will do what my Father tells me to do so that the people of the world may know that I love my Father. `Get up now! We must go.'