Book of Common Prayer

4 I am a prisoner who belongs to the Lord. I beg you, live the way people should live who have been called by God.

² Do not be proud at all. Be very humble. Love one another and be patient with each other.

³ The Spirit has made you all one. Try to stay like that. May you be at peace with one another.

⁴ There is one body of Christ and one Spirit. When God called you, there was one hope before you in your calling.

⁵ There is one Lord, one way to believe, and one baptism.

⁶ There is one God and Father of us all. He is over all. He works through all. And he is living in us all.

⁷ But each one of us has received a blessing, whatever amount Christ has given to each one.

⁸ So then, the holy writings say, `When Christ went up to heaven he took those he had won with him. And he gave gifts to men.'

⁹ Now, what does `he went up' mean? Does it not mean that he also came down to the earth below?

¹⁰ The one who came down is the same one who went up higher than all the heavens. He did this so that he would be everywhere.

¹¹ The gifts he gave are these: some are to be apostles; some prophets; some evangelists; some pastors and teachers.

¹² These gifts are to make God's people better able to do their work for him and to make the body of Christ become stronger.

¹³ The gifts are given so that we will all believe the one way and all know the Son of God. They are given so that we will be really grown-up Christians, like Christ himself.

¹⁴ The body of Christ must grow so that we will no longer be like children. We are like children when we are pushed this way and that way. We change our minds every time people bring a different teaching. Some teachers teach the lies of men and fool people so that they believe wrong things.

¹⁵ We must say what is true and say it with love. In that way we will grow up in all things to be like Christ, who is the head of this body.

¹⁶ The whole body is joined and held together by every joint that it has. It is from Christ that the whole body grows as each different part does its work. It grows so that it becomes stronger in love.

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.'