Book of Common Prayer

2 So, my brothers, when I came to you, I did not come to tell you God's message in big or wise words.

² I made up my mind that I would talk about only one thing while I was with you. That one thing was Jesus Christ and his death on a cross.

³ I was weak, afraid, and trembling when I visited you.

⁴ My words and my message were not in wise words to win you. But the power of the Spirit of God proved my words to be true.

⁵ I did this so that you would not believe because of man's wise words, but you would believe because of God's power.

⁶ However, our words are wise words to those who really believe. But they are not the kind of wise words that the people of this world speak. They are not the kind of wise words that the rulers of this world speak. Those rulers will die.

⁷ Our wise words are God's wise words about things people do not understand. Before God made the world he planned those things for our glory and blessing.

⁸ None of the rulers of this world knew about these things. If they had, they would not have killed on a cross the Lord who was full of God's glory.

⁹ The holy writings say, `No eye has seen the things God has made ready for those who love him. No ear has heard about them. No person's heart has ever thought of them.'

¹⁰ God has shown these things to us by his Spirit. The Spirit understands everything, even the things that God has kept secret.

¹¹ The only one who really knows what a person is thinking is the spirit of the person himself. So also, no one knows what God is thinking, only the Spirit of God.

¹² We have not received the spirit of the world. But we have received the Spirit of God. In this way we may understand the blessings which God has freely given to us.

¹³ We do not tell you these things in wise words which men taught us. But the Holy Spirit taught us. We teach things about the Spirit which we know about through the Spirit.

¹⁸ Jesus was walking by the sea of Galilee. There he saw two brothers, Simon who later was named Peter, and his brother Andrew. They were throwing a fishing net into the water. Their work was to catch fish.

¹⁹ Jesus said to them, `Come with me. The work I will give you will be to catch people.'

²⁰ Right away they left their nets and went with him.

²¹ Jesus went on from there and saw two other brothers, James and John. Their father's name was Zebedee. They were in the boat with their father mending their nets.

²² Jesus called them. Right away they left the boat and their father and went with him.

²³ Jesus went all around through Galilee. He taught people in their meeting houses and told them the good news about the kingdom of heaven. He healed all the sick and weak people.

²⁴ The people in all the country of Syria heard about him. They brought all who were sick in any way, or had bad spirits in them, and those who could not walk or use their hands. Jesus healed them.

²⁵ Many people went with him. They came from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, Judea, and from the other side of the Jordan river.